--- title: "The Ring" year: 2002 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-ring" fi1m_score: 70 critics_score: 60 critics_reviews: 18 published: "2026-09-17T20:17:03.320794+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T20:17:03.867228+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Ring (2002) Directed by Gore Verbinski · 1h 55m · MPA PG-13 · Horror, Mystery **Fi1m score: 70** · Critics 60 from 18 reviews *In a sentence:* A cursed VHS tape, a seven-day deadline, and so much rain the ghost may simply have got damp > Gore Verbinski’s remake of the Japanese hit is handsomely made and, for about an hour, properly frightening. Then the script starts explaining, and the fear drains out of it a scene at a time. Still worth a dark room and a wet evening. ## Synopsis A rain-soaked American city. Teenagers Katie Embry (Amber Tamblyn) and Rebecca Kotler (Rachael Bella) swap a story about a videotape: you watch it, the phone rings, a voice says seven days, and a week later you die. Katie watched it a week ago at a cabin in the mountains. When she dies, her aunt, newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), starts asking questions her sister Ruth (Lindsay Frost) would rather she left alone. Rachel finds the tape at the mountain inn where Katie stayed, watches it, and the phone rings. She takes it to Noah Clay (Martin Henderson), a video analyst and the father of her small son Aidan (David Dorfman), and the two of them begin going through it frame by frame with a week on the clock. ## Review Gore Verbinski’s remake of Hideo Nakata’s *Ringu* (1998) keeps the idea whole and moves it to an American city where it never stops raining. A videotape passes from hand to hand. Whoever watches it gets a phone call, a whispered “seven days”, and a week to live. Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a newspaper reporter whose niece is one of the dead, tracks the tape to a cabin, watches it, and the phone rings. That is the film, and it is a good one for about an hour. After that the script decides we need to know everything, and each answer takes a little of the fear away with it. The tape is the best thing in it. Craig Wood cuts it as a run of hard, silent images: a woman combing her hair in a mirror, a ladder against a wall, a chair alone in a field, a fly, a well with a lid sliding across it. It lasts about a minute. We watched it with our shoulders up, and when it stopped and Rachel’s phone rang we jumped. Nothing later in the film frightened us as much, and we think the reason is that the tape does not explain itself. It shows things in the wrong order and leaves the rest to us. Bojan Bazelli shoots the city in greens and greys, rain on every window, with the only warm light coming from television screens. Tom Duffield’s cabin is knotty pine, a television on a stand and a drawer of unlabelled tapes; Rachel’s flat is small and cluttered and papered with a boy’s drawings. Julie Weiss keeps Watts in dark wool with wet hair for most of the running time and puts Samara Morgan (Daveigh Chase) in a white nightdress with her hair over her face, which is the image most people carry out of the cinema. Hans Zimmer runs a small circling theme, like a music box, under the quiet stretches, and it works. At the shocks he brings the strings in at full weight, and the shocks would have been better without them. Watts plays Rachel as a woman who was already tired before the curse arrived, a working single mother who forgets to collect her son and is not forgiven for it. David Dorfman’s Aidan calls her Rachel, not Mum, and looks at her the way a doctor looks at a patient; he is the film’s second most unsettling effect and he barely raises his voice. We were more moved than we expected by the early scene in which his teacher (Sandra Thigpen) hands Rachel a pile of his drawings and Watts looks at them and understands, before we do, that she has been looking after the wrong thing. Martin Henderson’s Noah has an easy charm, a job the plot needs and a failing the plot needs, and little else; he is mostly there to be shown things. The second half is where the trouble is. The screenplay, credited to Ehren Kruger and Hiroshi Takahashi from Kōji Suzuki’s novel, sends Rachel looking for who made the tape, and the film turns into an investigation: newspaper archives, a doctor (Jane Alexander) who remembers too much, a horse farm on an island, a family history laid out in flashback and old film reels. It is all done carefully, and it is all a mistake. Verbinski also adds computer-generated flourishes, and they look like effects where the tape looked like something a stranger left behind. Brian Cox turns up late as Richard Morgan and gives the film its one scene of properly acted grief. Nakata trusted his tape and left most of the rest in the dark. Verbinski’s version is better acted, better lit and longer, and it cannot leave a question standing. The first hour is a good ghost story; the second is a competent mystery with a ghost in it, which is a different and lesser thing. It is a 15 and runs 115 minutes. Watch it with the lights off and the phone in another room. If you still own a videotape without a label, this is not the night to find out what is on it. *Fi1m score 70, published 17 September 2026.* ### Reviews we read (18) - **The AV Club**, Keith Phipps (B+): The critic praises the film as a suspenseful classic ghost story that effectively builds dread through sleight of hand and lingering shots. It ranks alongside The Others for its marriage of big-budget filmmaking with old-fashioned scares, highlighted by Naomi Watts’ strong performance. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-ring-1798197983) - **Empire**, Mark Dinning (4/5): The Hollywood remake is a solid if flawed effort that falls short of the Japanese original, particularly in its CG effects and added exposition, but delivers strong suspense and a terrific performance from Naomi Watts. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ring-3-review/) - **Total Film** (80/100, inferred): Verbinski successfully captures the psychological chills and smart scares of the Japanese original in this rare successful remake, with strong visuals, committed performances especially from Watts, and an unsettling atmosphere that lingers. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-ring-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (70/100, inferred): The film makes the most of its creepy premise but stops just short of full horror impact. Turan singles out Naomi Watts' strong performance for lending credibility to the strange scenario. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-18-et-ring18-story.html) - **The New York Times**, Beatrice Loayza (70/100, inferred): The 2002 film remains a restrained, atmospheric chiller that taps into ambient anxiety through its cursed videotape concept and eerie imagery. Loayza praises its moody restraint and cultural resonance as a millennial horror touchstone. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/movies/the-ring-gore-verbinski.html) - **Time Out**, TJ (70/100, inferred): The critic notes that while Verbinski's remake respects the original Japanese film, it over-elaborates the story and loses some creepiness compared to the mysterious original, but is still decent enough to recommend seeking out the source material. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-ring) - **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): The review praises the slick, dread-laden horror and high concept but criticizes the lack of clarity in the story and insufficient "it" factor to make it a must-see classic. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-ring/4010821.article) - **The Times**, JC (3/5): This American remake of the cult Japanese horror is satisfyingly chilly as a reporter investigates deaths linked to a cursed videotape and must solve clues to save herself amid unnerving landscapes. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/new-film-releases-dlkzqflwxqp) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (30/100, inferred): The film is a serious but ultimately absurd and tedious effort that over-explains its premise in lengthy flashbacks. Ebert criticizes the contrived story and lack of genuine engagement despite strong craft and visuals. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-ring-2002) - **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (30/100, inferred): The critic views Gore Verbinski’s remake as a preposterous, attention-deficit anti-art film that prioritizes a journalist’s investigation and family Freudian baggage over genuine terror. It employs cheap scare tactics and flashy gimmicks instead of the original’s subtler approach. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-ring/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): The remake of the Japanese horror is disappointing and loses most of the original's flavour while amplifying its muddled elements. The premise is strong but the narrative around the cursed videotape is rickety and nonsensical despite effective shocks. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/feb/21/artsfeatures5) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (30/100, inferred): The stylish Hollywood remake lacks personality of its own and delivers muted creepiness with uninvolving characters. McCarthy notes the absence of genuine excitement or fright, resulting in a second-rate feel. [Read](https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/the-ring-4-1200545674/) - **Evening Standard**, Alexander Walker (10/100, inferred): The American remake is an incomprehensible mess lacking narrative sense or coherence, relying on mystification and cheap jump scares rather than genuine terror, making it a contemptible catchpenny. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-horror-dud-7428791.html) - **Collider**, Lloyd Farley (A-): The critic views the film as a haunting psychological nightmare and horror classic despite not finding it scary, praising its race-against-time premise, media metaphors, character growth, Verbinski's masterful direction including memorable scenes, and the shocking twist ending. [Read](https://collider.com/the-ring-review-naomi-watts/) - **/Film**, Lex Briscuso (90/100, inferred): The critic argues the film has evolved into a multifaceted masterpiece, functioning as gripping drama nearly as well as unflinching horror. Time and perspective reveal its full power and emotional depth. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1059385/the-ring-at-20-gore-verbinskis-horror-hit-has-evolved-into-a-masterpiece) - **Consequence** (85/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as the superlative and best American remake of its era, a cultural sensation with complex acting, powerful drama, emotional heft, and lasting scares that outshines its many inferior imitators in the J-horror remake trend. [Read](https://consequence.net/2022/10/the-ring-why-its-good-gore-verbinski/) - **Paste**, Kenneth Lowe (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's lurid and intense approach to the cursed tape premise, its tactile analog-era details, strong performances, and effective VFX, noting how it launched a wave of Asian horror remakes while highlighting its arresting imagery and purposeful ambiguities. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/the-ring-gore-verbinski-j-horror-killed-vhs) - **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (70/100, inferred): The critic finds this a successful Hollywood remake thanks to its intelligent adaptation and strong performances from Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson. However, it explains the mystery too much, diluting the fear present in the Japanese original. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-ring-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Details - **Director:** Gore Verbinski - **Director:** Gore Verbinski - **Screenplay:** Ehren Kruger, Hiroshi Takahashi - **Novel:** Kōji Suzuki - **Cinematography:** Bojan Bazelli - **Editor:** Craig Wood - **Music:** Hans Zimmer - **Production design:** Tom Duffield - **Costume design:** Julie Weiss - **Producer:** Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes - **Cast:** Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller; Martin Henderson as Noah Clay; David Dorfman as Aidan Keller; Brian Cox as Richard Morgan; Jane Alexander as Dr. Grasnik; Lindsay Frost as Ruth Embry; Amber Tamblyn as Katie Embry; Rachael Bella as Rebecca Kotler - **Runtime:** 1h 55m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 18 October 2002 - **Genres:** Horror, Mystery - **Budget:** $48 million - **Box office:** $249 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG7BAY6_hsw ## Where to watch in the US - Paramount+: streaming, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Apple TV: add-on, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Hulu: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - MTV Movie Award for Best Villain 2003: MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (won) ## If you liked this - *Ringu* (1998): Nakata’s original: shorter, stranger, and it never tells you what the well means. - *Dark Water* (2002): Nakata again, a leaking ceiling and a mother, sadder than it is frightening. - *The Others* (2001), Fi1m 80: Kidman in a fogbound house, curtains drawn, an old-fashioned ghost story properly told. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-others.md) - *It Follows* (2014), Fi1m 84: Another curse you can pass on, shot in wide, patient frames that never blink. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/it-follows.md) - *Lake Mungo* (2008): Australian mock documentary about a drowned girl; the quietest, saddest haunting we know. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-ring