'Ring Two' dials up 'The Omen' for inspiration

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

THE RING TWO (PG-13) Three Stars (Good) A modestly engaging fright sequel to the hit Japanese-inspired thriller about deaths that follow the viewing of a videotape. This time, the tape's evil spirit gets free and possesses a young boy's body. Naomi Watts returns as mom. David Dorfman again plays her son. Hideo Nakata directs. DreamWorks, 111 minutes.

J-Horror describes a popular wave of Japanese fright flicks that have become popular underground in the original Japanese versions, and have since surfaced as Yankee remakes. ("The Ring" and "The Grudge" are two previous entries.)

J-Horror films are relatively restrained when it comes to the slasher gore that's been overly prominent in American horror flicks of the post-"Halloween" decades. Instead, they focus more on gloomy psychological fears, manifest in macabre hauntings and other bizarre behavior. That might explain why the "Ring" films have earned only PG-13 ratings, while most recent American horror flicks easily warrant a rated R.

"The Ring Two" most likely won't mean much to viewers if they haven't seen the original.

In the original, journalist Rachel Keller (Watts) investigates the mysterious deaths of four teens and discovers a tale worthy of an urban legend: An underground videotape makes the rounds. After watching the surreal, two-minute short, the viewer then has only seven days to live. Eventually, we learn there's a way around the curse.

Keller also has a morose young son named Aidan (David Dorfman), who is threatened by the evil curse of the tape. We also learn the evil spirit behind it is the vengeful ghost of a young girl murdered by her adoptive parents.

In "The Ring Two," the tape becomes less prominent. Now the ominous child-ghost can appear at will, and doesn't seem to need the videotape trigger to wreak havoc. Soon the evil spirit takes over young Aidan's body (and the movie becomes vaguely reminiscent of "The Omen.")

Thus, Rachel has to battle the evil child within Aidan to try to save the good child.

Fans of quick-cut action and standard fright may be disappointed. However, some filmgoers may find "The Ring Two" surprisingly engrossing, particularly in the final reel, when the film becomes a roughhewn portrait of a mother under severe stress. There's also a highway encounter between the Kellers in a car and a large herd of renegade deer that butt the automobile unmercifully. It's strange and strangely wondrous, unlike anything we've ever seen.

Watts lends the "Ring" films gravitas, as does the unexpected appearance of Sissy Spacek in a spooky cameo in "Ring Two." Dorfman, though, is not an especially appealing youngster; his moody characterization (even when he's the good kid) makes it hard to tell when he's being possessed by evil.

Hideo Nakata, the creator of the Japanese originals, has directed "The Ring Two" with a purposeful dreamlike pace. At least he can't complain that some Yank filmmaker messed up his work.

Rated PG-13, with violence, fright and brief profanity.