The Ring: 2-Disc Collector's Set Review

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Title: The Ring: Widescreen & Rings: The Circle Of Fear Is Growing: 2 - Disc Collector's Set

Region: One

Genre: Horror

“The Ring” Stars: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, and Brian Cox

“The Ring: Full Circle” Stars: Ryan Merriman, Emily Van Camp, Kelly Stables, Alex Breckenridge, Josh Wise, Justin Allen, Andrew D’Amico

Writer: Ehren Kruger

Based On The Novel “The Ring” By: Koji Suzuki

“The Ring: Full Circle” Writers: Ehren Kruger and Jonathan Liebsam

“The Ring” Director: Gore Verbinski

“The Ring: Full Circle” Director: Jonathan Liebsam

“The Ring” Feature length: 1 hour and 55 minutes

“The Ring: Full Circle” Feature length: 17 minutes

Extras: “Rings AKA The Ring Full Circle” Short Film, The Curse Videos, “The Origin Of Terror: The Phenomenon Of Urban Legends” Featurette, Never-Before-Seen Interviews With The Stars And Filmmakers, Trailers

Languages: English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and Dolby Surround Sound as well as French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Two Keep Case

Chapter Stops: 23

Sound: DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and Dolby Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2002/DVD Release: 2005

Theatrical Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures

Home Video Distributor: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

In March of 2003 DreamWorks Home Entertainment released “The Ring” to DVD-Video where it became one of the most popular horror films ever released by the studio. Now as “The Ring Two” hits theaters, DreamWorks Home Entertainment has released a new Collector’s Set, which contain the original DVD of “The Ring” and an individually packaged bonus disc entitled “Rings: The Circle Of Fear Is Growing.” “The Ring” is an American remake of the Japanese horror film “Ringu,” which was adapted from the novel “The Ring” by Koji Suzuki. If you have seen “Ringu” then you already have an idea about what to expect because “The Ring” follows all of the plot points of “Ringu” and more or less expands a bit upon the action to create more disturbing images that are nothing short of creepy. “The Ring” will leave viewers with more questions than it answers with a story that is basically a well constructed urban legend that depicts a videotape with strange images that look like they were left over dailies from a few hellish music videos and then after the tape plays itself out the viewer gets a mysterious phone call informing them they have seven days to live. Sure enough the viewer bites the dust and this compels a journalist to investigate the story after her niece succumbs to an untimely death. The tension grows higher when her creepy son sees the tape thus motivating her to seek out the root of this phenomenon and hopefully find salvation.

The ultimate resolution does piece together elements in the mystery nicely, but as noted above, the film opens up a lot more questions and a very surreal surprise. I am surprised this film got a PG-13 rating because while the film is not overtly violent or sexual, it nevertheless presents nightmarish images enough to keep kids and some adults awake at night.

The widescreen image presents the film with an aspect ratio of (1.85:1) and the image is appropriately subdued and murky with no hints of color bleeding or compression grain. The English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Soundtrack has a slight edge over the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack, but otherwise both soundtracks should sufficiently creep out viewers with home theater sound systems. An English Dolby Surround Soundtrack and a French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is also included along with English Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded on to the dual layered DVD as options.

There are not many extra features included on the DVD. First there is an abridged hodgepodge of scenes from “The Ring” mixed in with what might be some deleted and or extended footage in the companion short by Gore Verbinski “Don’t Watch This” (15:29), which is presented in a widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and optional English Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles. There is also an Easter egg containing the video as seen in the film (2:05) with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and presented in a (1.33:1) aspect ratio. It is easy to find. Just scroll down the right side of the choices on the main menu and when the cursor disappears, press enter on your remote. Once you start this Easter egg, you cannot pause, fast forward, or stop it from running, but you can eject it if you don’t want to see it. The menus are fully animated with animated transitions to full motion scene selections and all are just as creepy as this film and easy to navigate.

The bonus DVD contains the short film “Rings” AKA “The Ring: Full Circle,” which depicts a group of high school kids who have developed a morbid right of passage or click. To get in you have watch the tape and document what you encounter for the next seven days. The kids will tell you that someone will watch the tape and lift the curse off of you if you get spooked, but the real agenda is to see how long a person can survive as the line between our reality and the dimension from where these ghastly images come begins to blur. The film is presented in a 16 by 9 enhanced anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio with a full English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack and English Captions for the hearing impaired as well as French and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded as options. This is a creepy short film that is supposed to contain some hints for what is to come in “The Ring Two,” which is in theaters now.

In addition to the short film, the three cursed films from “The Ring” (2:01), “The Ring Two” (1:13), and “Ringu” (: 50) as well as trailers for “The Ring” (2:08) and “The Ring Two” (1:28) are also included. Some behind-the-scenes interviews with Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Walter Parks and Gore Verbinski that were recorded for the first film are also included on the DVD along with a featurette on urban legends (7:58). The DVD opens up with the complete cursed video from “The Ring” before the menus appear and as can be expected, you can’t fast forward it once it starts.

For collectors and those who still have not added “The Ring” to their horror films on DVD collection, DreamWorks Home Entertainment’s “The Ring: Collector’s Set” is a must have.

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