Ringu 0 Blu-ray Review

Nov 022019

Ringu 0 is actually a well done prequel that gives life to the Sadako character and gives a pretty good reason for enacting a curse on others later, although still not entirely sure how it gets caught on a VHS tape…

Ringu
(1998)

Genre(s): Supernatural Horror
Arrow Video | NR – 100 min. | October 29, 2019

Date Published: 11/02/2019 | Author: The Movieman

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Norio Tsuruta
Writer(s): Koji Suzuki (novel “Lemon Heart”); Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay)
Cast: Yukie Nakama, Seiichi Tanabe, Kumiko Aso, Takeshi Wakamatsu, Ryushi Mizukami

DISC INFO:
Features: Audio Commentary, Featurette, Video Essay, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailers
Slip Cover: No
Digital Copy: No
Formats Included: Blu-ray
Number of Discs: 1

Audio: Japanese (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Japanese (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85
Subtitles: English SDH
Disc Size: 42.22 GB
Total Bitrate: 41.96 Mbps
Codecs: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A

Arrow Video provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.

THE MOVIE — 3.5/5

Plot Synopsis: Thirty years prior to the events of Ringu, teenager Sadako (YUKIE NAKAMA), plagued by nightmares and a suspicion that she has inherited her mother’s psychic abilities, joins a drama troupe as a form of therapy. When the leading actress dies under mysterious circumstances, Sadako takes on the role, much to the consternation of her peers, who suspect her of being responsible for the death. As a string of supernatural events unfolds around the troupe, Sadako’s latent power continues to manifest itself, paving the way for a horrifying final confrontation – the repercussions of which will be felt for generations.

Quick Hit Review: Often times prequels, especially ones for horror movies, don’t really come out so well (see either Exorcist: The Beginning or Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist) but I did find Ringu 0 to actually be fairly well done. No, the story doesn’t make complete sense but as a movie that explores Sadako’s origins and how she became an evil entity, I did genuinely feel sorry for the girl thanks in large part to the innocent, vulnerable performance by Yukie Nakama.

Norio Tsuruta takes over directing duties from Hideo Nakata who helmed the first two films and while the atmosphere wasn’t quite the same, he did manage to give sympathy toward Sadako even if the actions of others and their acceptance of her powers didn’t make a lot of sense…

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5

This single-disc release comes housed in a clear HD keep case.

Audio Commentary — Author and Critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Spooks, Sighs and Videotape (37:29) — Video essay by author/critic Jasper Sharp, exploring the J-horror phenomenon.

Behind the Scenes Featurette (21:32) is a fly-on-the-wall video from 1999.

Deleted Scenes (7:06) — Six scenes either cut down or removed for one reason or another.

Also includes the Theatrical Trailer (1:25) and the Ring/Isola Double Bill Trailer (1:17).

VIDEO – 4.0/5

Arrow Video releases Ringu 0 onto Blu-ray presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition. As with Ringu 2, this didn’t undergo any sort of restoration, but still doesn’t look half bad. It’s not entirely pristine looking, perhaps on the type of film it was shot on as some spots were soft, mainly background objects, however it did look clean with no obvious signs of aliasing and free of specs, scratches and dust marks.

AUDIO – 4.0/5

The included 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks weren’t anything amazing but certainly serviceable enough outputting clean dialogue via the center channel where most of the on-screen elements resided, with some minor ambient noises encompassing the surrounds fairly well.

OVERALL – 3.0/5

Overall, Ringu 0 is actually a well done prequel that gives life to the Sadako character and gives a pretty good reason for enacting a curse on others later, although still not entirely sure how it gets caught on a VHS tape… The Arrow Video release provides good video/audio transfers and a respectable selection of bonus features.

11/02/2019 Blu-ray Reviews, Quick Hit Reviews Tagged with: Arrow Video, J-horror, Ringu

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