East is east and west is west, but a sequel that sucks has no respect for geography. Hideo Nakata's post-modern horror movie Ring was a box-office phenomenon in Asian markets, brilliantly fusing a Scream-style breakdown of the genre with the visual imagery of traditional Japanese ghost stories.
The follow-up, however, hurriedly jumps on the commercial rickshaw, skipping from one half-developed plot point to the next without ever settling into a coherent and satisfying story. Once again, the film centres on a cursed videotape that causes all who view it to die horribly, but the psychological/ scientific/supernatural reasons given for its existence make no sense, even by Hollywood horror movie standards.
This huge disappointment might just fill in time for fans of the original before UK screens are treated to the excellent `prequel', Ring 0. The on-screen style is impressive, but the plot leaves you too bamboozled to care.
