Rings

This review may contain spoilers!

While the Rings franchise have never been particularly good horror films at least they're consistent. I would give Rings a 4/10.

I guess if there's one thing that works for this film it's the murder mystery story that's going on. In the original The Ring films there was always an investigation into some element of Samara and Evelyn's past and this film really cranks that up a notch and also makes it's storytelling much more clear and linear. A lot of what makes this series great has been preserved and it's nice that the writer chose to once again have the protagonist focus upon helping Samara in some way or form. The editing for Rings was really fluid and smooth, in particular I liked how scenes were often wrapped up and transitioned between.

Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, who played Julia, is actually quite good as a compassionate protagonist in this film; her drive to not only uncover the truth but also to help the supposed antagonist makes her a fine replacement for Naomi Watts. Alex Roe, who played Holt, does one of the more convincing jobs of playing a role who is absolutely in love with his partner; Roe and Lutz really brought a lot of great chemistry to this film which made you care for them as characters. Aimee Teegarden, who played Skye, was quite a frantic and manic role that we don;t engage with much but who does quite well in this film; you really get such a raw and genuine performance of a woman who knows that her life is about to end.

However the best performance came from Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Burke. What a nice switch up to have the Kingpin playing the blind man for a change! D'Onofrio is a masterful performer who knows how to bring a lot of gravitas and wisdom to his role, when this character speaks you feel the ancient history he contains in regards to Samara. I loved the rising sense of dread you get as well when it's finally revealed that he was the priest all along. Once this revelation takes place D'Onofrio turns wild, becoming a terrifying element of this film equal to that of the monster, Samara herself.

This film sadly does what most horror films are doing these days, it provides some basic moments of continuity from the original source material but focuses upon a group of young people being plagued by a horrific threat who they learn the history of as the film progresses. This film plays to cliches a lot of the time particularly when it comes to the young couple at the centre of the film, while they're onscreen chemistry is great there's just no getting past how in your face and over the top these exchanges become. Beyond that this film is just plain predictable; it's hardly a shock when Julia watches the video to save Holt, nor that Gabriel dies, Burke is the priest or even Julia becoming Samara at the end of the feature. The cinematography for the film doesn't really create a notable style, most shots feel too tight and claustrophobic even in scenes with a large-scale setting. The score for the past two Rings films is something I've really enjoyed so it's a shame that the music wasn't very impressionable in this film; often providing a discordant tone in the background without adding to the film itself.

Johnny Galecki, who played Gabriel, feels really out of touch with his role; Galecki felt like he was at odds with this role and certainly didn't fit the character type. Zach Roerig, Laura Wiggins and Lizzie Brochere, who played Carter, Faith and Kelly respectively, completely ruined the start of the film; not only did none of these characters connect with the main story but they just felt like a cheap way to introduce the basic premise of the entire Rings franchise. Jill Jane Clements, who played Karen Styx, was quite a stiff performance to watch; she struggled to portray any mood other than annoyance and dealt exposition out in a very heavy-handed way.