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SUMMARY

Rachel is a reporter for a major Seattle newspaper. Strong, self assured and driven, it appears she has little time for herself, or her son Aiden. He used to spend a lot of time with his 16 year old cousin Katie, while Rachel works. Aiden seems to be having trouble adjusting to Katie's death, the apparent victim of a freak heart attack.

However, Rachel's sister does not believe that a heart attack killed her. She believes that she died of terror. Begging her to help, Rachel agrees to investigate her niece's death.

At the funeral, Rachel meets some of Katie's friends. They tell her that her friend Bekka is in the mental hospital, having been present when Kaitie died. The kids also tell her about a strange video tape. Although none of them have seen it, anyone who does receives a phone call, and a voice tells you that you will die in seven days.

At first skeptical, Rachel's investigation reveals that several of Katie's friends died on the same day, at the same time. After developing some of her late niece's pictures, she discovers a picture of Kaite and her friends at a cabin in the woods. What shocks her is that the faces of Katie and her friends are all distorted. Determined to find out what is going on, she heads up to the cabin they stayed at.

As she is talking to the manager, she finds an unlabeled video tape thrown in a pile of movie rentals. Wanting to see if this is the tape, she rents the same room Katie stayed in, and watches the tape.

As she watches, she is treated to a series of disturbing images. Then the phone rings. A little girl's voice on the other end tells her she has seven days.

To help her solve the mystery, she asks for help from her ex boyfriend, Noah, a professional video producer. She gives him a copy to watch, and asks him to figure out where it came from.

Unfortunately, Aiden finds the copy and watches the tape. Now, they must figure out the meaning behind the images, before they all fall victim to an evil from beyond.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

For those of you who do not know about the history of "The Ring", here is a brief recap. In the early 1990's a series of books came out that instantly scared the crap out of the Japanese population. It was, for lack of a better term, a "horror investigation" story.

Due to the popularity of the first two books, (Ring and Spiral), they were made as movies and released as a double billed feature.

The movies were creepy, suspenseful, and the last 15 minutes of Ring had you gripping the edge of your seat. With its great acting, intense story, and creepy ending, Ring became a bona-fied success.

It also achieved an international following because it went beyond the "sex and guns" or "monster" movies Japan had been churning out for years. Because of its international cult status, Dreamworks SKG decided to do an American version. Well known for taking chances, they hired Gore Verbinski, and writer Ehren Kruger to create their version.

Gore Verbinski has given us a very suspenseful and down right scary movie. From the beginning to the very end, you will find your self riveted to your seat.

I attended a sneak preview of "The Ring" at the Union Station theater in Washington DC. Even though I was the first one in, the theater filled up pretty quickly. I had my soda and my candy and sat down to watch one of the few movies I had been waiting for. Lots of thoughts ran through my mind; Would it be as intense as the original? Would it scare me, or at least keep me interested? Will we see Naomi Watts in her panties?

The answers are: More intense. Yes, it scared me. Yes you do, and they were black.

From the moment the movie started, I was glued to my seat. It was very hard for me to get up and go to the bathroom, I was so into it. The first five minutes were incredibly scary, and from then on, it didn't let up. Gore Verbinski knows how to keep a movie going. Just when it seemed that things were going to slow down, something would happen that would make the whole audience go "Whoa!". When we got to the last 15 minutes, everyone was jumping out of their seats. Much like the end of "The Blair Witch Project" I could feel my heart racing. There were plenty of gasps and screams that helped to push the intensity level way up. As people left the theater, I could here people saying; "Man, I am not going to be able to sleep for a week."I will be one of them.

ACTING:Acting wise, Naomi Watts does a great job in her portrayal of Rachel. When you meet her character, she appears to be a cool, self assured professional, not afraid to speak her mind. With in moments,you realize that she is very insecure about her relationship with her son, almost in denial about her lack of parenting. After she watches the tape, the added strain almost makes her fall apart. After Aiden watches the tape, you see her regain the determination to save her son. Since the majority of the movie rests on her shoulders, she carries the load very well.

The rest of the cast does very well. Each actor knows how creepy this story is, and they do their part to convey the right amount of dread, or in some cases, terror.

CONCLUSION:While it's roots are firmly planted in the original, Ehren Kruger's script is not the same. It is a tighter, better plotted story that despite the supernatural element, does a great job at making the events seem believable. I also like the fact that the exposition is well disguised, so you don't notice it.

There are some cool in-jokes that reference Rear Window, The Shining, and of course the original Japanese Ring. Keep an eye out for a Japanese television commercial and look at the copy of the tape.

Fans of the original will recognize it. Also, watch what the Dreamworks logo does at the start of the movie.

I will say that Dreamworks "The Ring" is right up there with "Halloween" as one of the scariest movies of all time. It is a creepy, intense, heart pounding thriller that leaves all others in the dust.

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