Following up on the release of the original Ringu, Kenji Suzuki's novels' were chosen as the basis for a sequel the next year which saw the release of the divisive “Spiral” arrive to conflicting reception even though it took its inspiration from the source novel. After the reaction to the film of attempting something more familiar to a crime-scene investigation that left fans of the ghost action unsatisfied, a proper sequel to the original film was commissioned with Nakata coming back to continue the saga of Sadako and her exploits to be a proper sequel to the original.
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Following the discovery of several bodies, Mai Takano (Miki Takano) is trying to learn more about the death of her professor when she hears stories about a videotape haunted by the spirit of a girl named Sadako (Rie Ino'o), who died many years earlier. Supposedly, anyone watching the tape will die of fright exactly one week later. After some investigating, she learns that Ryuji's son, Yoichi (Rikiya Otaka), is developing the same psychic powers that Sadako had when she was alive. Mai must now find some way to keep Yoichi and herself from becoming Sadako's next victims.
Overall, “Ringu 2” is an enjoyable and entertaining sequel. Most of the film's enjoyable qualities stem from the immersive quality that arises from the continuation of the storylines from the original. With the mysterious incidents only just being found out by the police and trying to piece together what happened to the missing reporter Maki, the events in question are quite impressive to see play out as if there was a true sequel at work. This includes the similarities to the first movie, which emerge during their investigation into the discovery of the real source of Sadako's power with the connection into the psyche and their mental prowess that's revealed here from writer Hiroshi Takahashi.
That gives “Ringu” the chance to bring out some chilling supernatural action within that framework. The supposed sightings of the ghost hands watching over Maki is a simple enough tactic at keeping the ghost centered on the story, while the scenes at the mental hospital offer some of the most chilling works in the series. This goes from the patient forcing the TV monitor to start playing the video to trigger the rest of the patients, to the psychological test being performed that signals the start of this one launching into far creepier terrain. As the searches take her to the island which brings about some fantastic shocks and leads into the outstanding finale, there are some great scenes here that are quite chilling.
That said, there are a few areas that hold “Ringu 2” back. The main problem is the fact that the film has a pretty troubling issue with the tempo and pacing that drags the opening down. With a major focus on the investigation into the past and trying to uncover the series of connections to everything in the two films, this ends up creating a wholly bland feeling for the most part that keeps the horror focus to a minimum. The other real problem is the unnecessary psychobabble trying to explain the origins of Sadako and where she came from. The idea of exploring the connection within a person's mind and their concentration of suppressed emotions is a great topic to explore but it's laughable to think that can cause a ghost curse to play out.
While nowhere near as impactful and prominent as the original, that “Ringu 2” attempts to explore new ground than most sequels and offers up an attempt to explain the curse is to be celebrated regardless of the outcome. It's an easy recommend to fans of Asian horror or J-horror in particular, especially for those willing to go back-to-back with the original.
