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Ring Two, The
DreamWorks Distribution LLC


4.9

based on 37 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 67 votes
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Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for violence/terror, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language

Starring Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Sissy Spacek, Ryan Merriman, and Emily VanCamp

The story picks up six months after the horrifying events that terrorized Rachel Keller (Watts) and her son Aidan (Dorfman) in Seattle. To escape her haunting memories, Rachel takes Aidan and moves to the small coastal community of Astoria, Oregon, to start fresh. However, Rachel's resolve quickly turns to dread when evidence at a local crime scene-including an unmarked videotape-seems eerily familiar. Rachel realizes that the vengeful Samara is back and more determined than ever to continue her relentless cycle of terror and death. (DreamWorks)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Horror \| Mystery \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Ehren Kruger Kôji Suzuki (novel Ringu) Hiroshi Takahashi (1998 film Ringu)
DIRECTED BY:	Hideo Nakata
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 23, 2005 Video: August 23, 2005 Theatrical: March 18, 2005
RUNNING TIME:	111 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Watts is wonderful, and the story's forsaken-child theme still has plenty of horrific power.

Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand

An unusually atmospheric outing. Splatter fans may be disappointed, because Nakata isn't interested in a body count.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

While nearly every shock comes at predictable moments, there is genuine ingenuity behind many, and the movie is surprisingly fresh for one made by a guy on his third go-round with the same material.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

The movie is as side-splitting as it is creepy, especially when it ventures into surrealistic nightmare imagery.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Watts evokes a classic Hitchcockian virgin-whore duality.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The charm of The Ring Two, while limited, is real enough; it is based on the film's ability to make absolutely no sense, while nevertheless generating a real enough feeling of tension a good deal of the time.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

You have to admire Nakata's skill at letting the dead run free while hinting that we may have more to fear from the living. With a braver step in that direction, this middling movie would ring more than box-office bells.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Watts has proven herself a Lady of the Rings, but twice is enough. No burning need for a trilogy.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

It's hardly the best film in the world but you can have fun with it.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Somewhat sluggish but reasonably scary.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

The movie works while you watch it, with plenty of scares both sudden and psychological.

Empire Kim Newman

Delivers a decent puzzle and enough jumps to keep you enjoyably jittery.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

It's passably gripping and occasionally lively.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Isn't a great work of horror, but it's admirable simply because it serves the genre so serviceably. It's nicely constructed, and it doesn't have one of those ridiculous extended endings.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Borrowing liberally from the "Exorcist" and "Omen" movies, and with little regard for credibility, The Ring Two has a familiar ring to it.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

An uneven story undermines this horror franchise, despite high-quality performances by Naomi Watts and David Dorfman.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Remember mood rings? The Ring Two is a mood movie - a bad-mood movie.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Half-intriguing, half-tedious.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The scariest thing in the not-scary-enough The Ring Two is the notion that even smart, attractive adults - yikes, even mothers - just never learn, either.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Kruger's elaborations on the original mystery are superfluous, but Watts gives this everything she's got.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Despite some impressive technical achievements, it too looks like a movie with little reason for being.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

One-scene guest star Sissy Spacek packs enough genuine madness into her brief screen time to make the surrounding film feel like so much listless play-acting.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The film is a dud in the tradition of such weak horror sequels as "Exorcist II" and "Dracula's Dog."

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

A mild disaster.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Doesn't do much besides giving original "Ringu" and "Ringu 2" director Hideo Nakata the chance to strut his stuff in front of a wide-release audience.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

A perplexing compound of the silly and the glum.

Village Voice Ed Park

This poorly conceived sequel to Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" ditches that film's scariest conceit.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Might have something interesting to say about cultural ambivalence by and toward the maternal impulse if only it had a spark of originality or verve.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Goes wrong in less than two minutes, which may be a world record for sequels to decent movies.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

As far as I'm concerned, it's official: Hollywood has lost the art of how to make horror films.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Despite Mr. Nakata's track record and the radiant presence of its star, Naomi Watts, The Ring Two is a dud.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Illustrates the law of returning diminishments.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Scares up few chills.

Premiere Peter Debruge

For a horror movie to work, it has to be ABOUT something.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Perfunctory, thrill- free sequel.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Terrifyingly dull movie.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

It's only at film's end that you realize the whole soggy, overlong mess isn't going to go anywhere.

The average user rating for this movie is 4.9 (out of 10) based on 67 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

d ferris gave it a1:
All I have to say is "deer scene" I have never laughed so hard in my life. Not to say that the rest of the film could even salvage this horrible film, but that scene in particular was so lame that I had to show all of my friends...they all hate me now.

Stan M. gave it a4:
I was a huge fan of the first film so I was really disappointed by this half-baked piece of junk. This movie had none of the scares and definitely none of the creepiness of the first one. There were so many wholes in this story it was ridiculous. First, why the heck would Rachel even have a television in her house let alone a video player? Didn't the writer see Poltergeist and the all important last seen when the family shoves the television out of their motel room? And what was up with the deers? I mean were we supposed to believe that somehow deers can sense evil or was Aiden actually Damian from the Omen? And finally why didn't they just tell uswho or what Samara was? Maybe they think people will actually pay to see The Ring Three. If you haven't seen the first American version of The Ring see that and if you have don't waste your time on this.

carlos gave it a1:
One star for not naming everyone in the credits Alan Smithee. You have to earn the other nine by making something at least marginally watchable. This is an hour and fifty one minutes of my life that I will never get back. Hideo Nakata, I hold you responsible.

Andy W. gave it a0:
What's that? Did she just tried to kill her child with cocaine? And a group of deer just attacked the car? Oh wait a second, I know why this is happening. Oh I get it! Because it's meant to be the worst horror movie of all time. Wow, I've never thought of that. Hmmm

Sam gave it a7:
While thr first time I saw it made me jump a few times, all in all, this movie just wasn't that scary. Sure, it was better than the first, but like the first, it's only entertaining if you expect a good, well-done plot rather than a terrifying film. Also like the first one, it's only scary the first time.

Ilze S. gave it an8:
The first part was better. Much scarier than this. This movie was good to look at. Naomi Watts was good. Anyway I like it.

mobius gave it a7:
Not to bad the story continues but this time it dont focus on the 7 day cycle, instead we have samara focusing on rachel and a new ajenda. at least it isnt a remake of the first film.

Ring Two, The DreamWorks Distribution LLC

Ring Two, The
DreamWorks Distribution LLC