Ringu Blu-ray Review

Nov 022019

Ringu is a wonderfully atmospheric supernatural horror film that I wonder if anyone used to modern horror has the patience to sit through as most of the movie has two characters doing research instead of an evil girl cursing victims.

Ringu
(1998)

Genre(s): Supernatural Horror
Arrow Video | NR – 95 min. | $27.99 | October 29, 2019

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

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Hideo Nakata
Writer(s): Koji Suzuki (novel); Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay)
Cast: Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rikiya Otaka, Miki Nakatani, Hitomi Sato, Rie Ino

DISC INFO:
Features: Audio Commentary, Interviews, Theatrical Trailers
Slip Cover: Yes (individual release)
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: 46.75 GB
Total Bitrate: 43.51 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 — 4.0/5

Plot Synopsis: When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (NANAKO MATSUSHIMA) sets out to investigate. Along with her ex-husband, Ryuji (HIROYUKI SANADA), Reiko finds the tape, watches it — and promptly receives a phone call informing her that she’ll die in a week. Determined to get to the bottom of the curse, Reiko and Ryuji discover the video’s origin and attempt to solve an old murder that could break the spell.

Quick Hit Review: I’m no expert on J-horror movies outside of the popular ones including Kairo (Pulse), The Grudge and Ringu, each one mostly because they received an Americanized remake, with The Ring easily being the best of them, though The Grudge had its moments while Pulse, starring Kristen Bell, was god awful and somehow spawned two DTV sequels.

In any case, Ringu is what I can only be described as a slow burn supernatural horror film, one where past the opening sequence, is mostly characters investigating the origins of the video tape and where we really don’t see the evil spirit of Sadaku until the end with the iconic scene of her coming out of the TV. But even so, it’s a compelling enough thriller with some, from what I can tell, fine acting by Nanako Matsushima and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Ringu is a well made, often unnerving supernatural horror film that, unlike something like Pulse, was prime material to get the American remake treatment as it doesn’t solely rely on the Japanese culture or folklore (which probably is why The Grudge took place and was filmed in Tokyo). For fans of the modern horror genre, some might find this to be tedious, but if you have patience, it is a well made film worth checking out, however one does get a chuckle of a curse being spread via a VHS cassette tape…

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5

This single-disc release comes housed in a clear HD keep case and a slip cover (for the individual release).

Audio Commentary — Film Historian David Kalat

The Ring Legacy (27:34) — Critics and filmmakers reflect on their memories of the Ring series and its enduring legacy. Pretty decent retrospective featurette, you get comments from fans of the franchise from film historians.

A Vicious Circle (21:12) — Interview with Author and Critic Kat Ellinger discussing Hideo Nakata and the Ring series.

Circumnavigating Ring (24:56) — Video Essay from Author/Critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas exploring the evolution of the Ring series.

Sadako’s Video (0:50) — Got to take a break, just got a phone call…

Rounding things out, there are two Trailers for the Ring/Spiral Double Bill feature, the UK Trailer and an Image Gallery.

VIDEO – 4.75/5

Arrow Video releases Ringu presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and has been given a new 1080p high-definition transfer, which was culled from the original 35mm camera negative element, restored by an outside company, and supervised by director of photography Jun’ichiro Hayashi and James White of Arrow Films. Without doing a direct comparison to its DVD counterpart, this Blu-ray looks pretty fantastic where detail is incredibly sharp and well defined throughout and colors appear well balanced though given the tone, you’re not going to get bright, vibrant colors. Best I can tell, there didn’t seem to be any major instances of dust marks or scratches.

AUDIO – 4.0/5

The disc includes choices of either a 5.1 or 2.0 Japanese language DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, the former being the default option. Nothing incredible here as the bulk of the audio, be it dialogue or on-screen action, is centrally located with the surrounds being utilized for the music and some ambient noises.

OVERALL – 4.25/5

Overall, Ringu is a wonderfully atmospheric supernatural horror film that I wonder if anyone used to modern horror has the patience to sit through as most of the movie has two characters doing research instead of an evil girl cursing victims. This Blu-ray release by Arrow Video offers up great video and respectable audio transfers to go along with a good selection of bonus features.

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

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