is a 1999 Japanese supernatural

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

, directed by

Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Ring 2'' (1999) and ''Dark Water'' (2002). Several of these we ...

and serves as a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to ''

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

''. ''Ring'' was originally a novel written by

Koji Suzuki is a Japanese writer, who was born in Hamamatsu and lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring (novel series), ''Ring'' novels, which have been adapted into other formats, including films, manga, TV series and video games. He has written ...

; its sequel, ''Rasen'' (a.k.a. ''

Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:adapted into a film as the sequel to ''Ring''. Due to the poor response to ''Rasen'', ''Ring 2'' was made as a new sequel to ''Ring''. However it ''was'' not based on Suzuki's works, thus it ultimately ignores the story of ''Rasen''. ''Ring 2'' takes place a couple of weeks after the first film, directly continuing the story and features most of the cast from ''Ring'' reprising their roles.

Plot

After the body of

Sadako Yamamura , also known as Park Eun-suh () and Samara Morgan, is the main antagonist of Koji Suzuki's ''Ring'' novel series and the film franchise of the same name. Sadako's fictional history alternates between continuities, but all depict her as the ven ...

is retrieved from a

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

, her uncle Takashi is summoned by police to identify her. Detective Omuta explains to Takashi that forensics concluded Sadako may have survived in the well for thirty years. Forensics experts reconstruct her body, giving it to Takashi, who gives his niece a

burial at sea Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different location ...

, hoping to be free from the guilt he has carried since her mother Shizuko committed suicide because of his actions. The police search for

Reiko Asakawa This article lists the characters who have appeared in the Japanese ''Ring'' films, based on a series of novels written by Koji Suzuki. The series is made up of ''Ring'', '' Rasen'', ''Ring 2'', '' Ring 0: Birthday'' and ''Sadako 3D''. The films ...

and her son Yoichi following the sudden death of her ex-husband

Ryuji Takayama This article lists the characters who have appeared in the Japanese ''Ring'' films, based on a series of novels written by Koji Suzuki. The series is made up of '' Ring'', '' Rasen'', ''Ring 2'', '' Ring 0: Birthday'' and ''Sadako 3D''. The film ...

and her father Koichi a week later. Mai Takano, Ryuji's university assistant, investigates his death, visiting Reiko's news office where her colleague Okazaki joins Mai in her search for answers. They find a burnt out

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...

in Reiko's apartment, Mai sensing Reiko's father died the same way as Ryuji. Investigating the

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

of the cursed videotape, Okazaki meets a high school student Kanae Sawaguchi, who gives him a copy of the tape but admits she watched it herself. She begs Okazaki to watch the tape before the week is up, but he chickens out and hides his copy in his desk drawer at work. Mai and Okazaki go to a mental hospital to speak to Masami Kurahashi, a friend of Reiko's niece Tomoko, but learn she is both mute and has a phobia of televisions, having witnessed Tomoko's death. They meet Doctor Oisho Kawajiri, Masami's doctor, and a paranormal researcher, who is trying to expel the psychic energy within Masami through experimentation. Mai steps out for some air, encountering Masami, whose presence causes Sadako to materialise on a television and terrify the patients. Masami tries to channel her fear into psychic vessel Mai, who realizes Yoichi has been trying to do the same thing. Mai finds Yoichi alone in a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

before his mother appears. Mai learns Yoichi has been mute since his father and grandfather's deaths and his

psychic abilities This is a list of alleged psychic abilities that have been attributed to real-world people. Many of these abilities pertain to variations of extrasensory perception or the ''sixth sense''. Superhuman abilities from fiction are not included. Psyc ...

intensified, and Reiko asks if Kawajiri can help. Returning to the hospital, Mai discovers that Okazaki has accidentally led the police to Kawajiri, who has informed them of Mai's contact with Reiko. Mai, Okazaki, and Detective Omuta observe Kawajiri's experiment to exorcise the psychic energy from Masami by projecting her mental imagery onto a blank tape. However, it causes the cursed videotape's imagery to appear. Mai destroys the recording. Omuta tortures Mai into revealing Reiko and Yoichi's location, forcing Mai to view Kanae's fear contorted corpse. Overcome with guilt, Mai telepathically tells Yoichi to flee the police station. Yoichi psychically attacks the cops and escapes with Reiko, who is consequentially hit and crushed underneath a truck. Yoichi begins to psychically kill Omuta, but is stopped by Mai as the two run off together. Okazaki attempts to delete his interview with Kanae, only for her ghost to materialise and haunt him. Mai and Yoichi travel to Oshima Island and stay in the Yamamura Inn. Yoichi has a nightmare, causing Shizuko's and a young Sadako's ghosts to appear before Mai wards them away. Dr. Kawajiri arrives in the night, offering to exorcise Yoichi as he tried with Masami, with Mai volunteering to act as a conduit to expel Sadako's hatred into a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

, water being able to neutralise the energy. The attempt turns frightening and Sadako's coffin appears in the pool. Takashi jumps in demanding to be taken by Sadako, while Kawajiri dives into the pool carrying electrical equipment, killing themselves alongside their assistant. Mai and Yoichi fall into the water, appearing inside the well. Ryuji's ghost appears, absorbing Yoichi's fear, and summons a rope that will guide Mai to safety as long as she doesn't look down. Sadako's ghost appears, scaling the well only to cryptically ask, "Why is it only you were saved?". Mai and Yoichi emerge in the pool, tentatively free of their fear. While Okazaki is institutionalised, a nurse takes a picture of him. As she leaves the room she notices something in the photo, seemingly shocked; behind Okazaki is Kanae's laughing spirit looking for revenge.

Cast

Miki Nakatani is a Japanese actress and singer. She began her career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club from 1991 to 1993, wherein she formed the duo Key West Club with member Keiko Azuma. Nakatani focused on acting after her departure, making he ...

as Mai Takano *

Rikiya Otaka is a Japanese retired actor. Career Otaka was born in Kanagawa, Japan. At age six he was chosen to play the part of seven-year-old Yoichi Asakawa in ''Ring''. Today, he (alongside Hiroyuki Sanada who played Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'') is the ...

Yoichi Asakawa This article lists the characters who have appeared in the Japanese ''Ring'' films, based on a series of novels written by Koji Suzuki. The series is made up of '' Ring'', '' Rasen'', ''Ring 2'', '' Ring 0: Birthday'' and ''Sadako 3D''. The film ...

Nanako Matsushima is a critically acclaimed Japanese actress and model known for her role in the horror film ''Ring''. She was also the female lead character in the drama '' A Story of Love'', along with ''Ring'' co-star Hiroyuki Sanada. In 2011, her drama ''Kas ...

Yoichi Numata (19 July 1924 – 29 April 2006) was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 27 films between 1949 and 2001. Selected filmography * ''Man in the Storm'' (1950) * ''Yellow Crow'' (1957) * '' Jigoku'' (1960) * ''The Ghost Cat of Otama Pond'' ( ...

as Takashi Yamamura *

Rie Inō is a Japanese film actress who portrayed Sadako Yamamura in ''Ring'' & ''Ring 2 is a 1999 Japanese supernatural horror film, directed by Hideo Nakata and serves as a sequel to '' Ring''. ''Ring'' was originally a novel written by Koji Suz ...

**Mebuki Tsuchida as young Sadako Yamamura *

Kyoko Fukada is a very common feminine Japanese given name. Not to be confused with Kiyoko. Possible writings The final syllable "ko" is typically written with the kanji character for child, 子. It is a common suffix to female names in Japan. The first sy ...

as Kanae Sawaguchi *

Yūrei Yanagi is a Japanese actor and tarento. He was born in Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Yanagi was originally a member of Takeshi Kitano's gundan. In 1990 he continued to work with Takeshi for the film ''Boiling Point''. Afterwards, he appeared in ...

as Okazaki * Hitomi Satō as Masami Kurahashi *

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Genbu in ''Ninja in the Dragon's Den'' (1982), Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'' (1998), Seibei Iguchi in ''The Twilight Samurai'' (2002), Ujio in ''T ...

Fumiyo Kohinata is a Japanese actor. Filmography Film * ''Begging for Love'' (1998) * ''Give It All'' (1998) * ''Ring 2'' (1999) - Dr. Kawajiri * ''Audition'' (1999) - Television producer * ''Minna no Ie'' (2001) * '' Turn'' (2001) * ''Dark Water'' (2002) - K ...

as Ishi Kawajiri *

Kenjirō Ishimaru is a Japanese actor and TV narrator. He is best known for his role in Kamen Rider series ''Kamen Rider Den-O'' as the owner of the DenLiner. He has also appeared in multiple competitions of ''Sasuke'' as a competitor and during that time has ...

as Detective Keiji Omuta *Masako as Shizuko Yamamura

Release

''Ring 2'' was released in Japan on January 23, 1999 where it was distributed by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

. It was released on a double bill with the film ''

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

''. In the Philippines, the film was released as ''Ring 2: Call of Evil'' on March 5, 2003. The film was released directly to video in the United States on August 23, 2005 by

DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

Box office

It was the second highest-grossing Japanese film of 1999 (after '' Pokémon: The Movie 2000''), earning a distribution income (

rentals Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the Tenement (law), tenant pays a flat rental amount and the land ...

) of upon its theatrical release. ''Ring 2'' grossed a total Japanese box office revenue of (). In South Korea, the film sold 128,521 tickets. In France, the film sold 22,263 tickets, bringing the film's total overseas box office to 150,784 ticket sales.

Home media

In the United Kingdom, it was watched by 360,000 viewers on television during the first half of 2005, making it the seventh most-watched foreign-language film on UK television during that period. The original ''Ring'' also drew 390,000 viewers on UK television during the same period, adding up to a combined 750,000 UK television viewership for both ''Ring'' films during the first half of 2005.

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' referred to the film as a "very different beast" than the ''

'', with "less atmosphere and more genre shocks". The review stated that the film "notably fails to build on the first movie's wonderfully nasty final scene" and is "progressively more conventional with no special visual style or under-the-skins frissons". As a result of the film's popularity, one of the film's cast members,

(role of Kanae Sawaguchi), was offered a recording contract with

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...

(the label that handled the releases of the film's soundtrack and its accompanying single), and her debut single was released by Pony Canyon on May 19, 1999. ''Ring 2'' holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on thirteen reviews.

References

Bibliography

External links

* * * {{Hideo Nakata 1999 films 1990s Japanese-language films 1999 horror films Fiction about photography Films about curses Films about psychic powers Films directed by Hideo Nakata Films scored by Kenji Kawai Japanese ghost films Japanese horror films Japanese sequel films Alternative sequel films Japanese supernatural horror films The Ring (franchise) Toho films 1990s Japanese films