Ringu 2 (1998)

Country of Origin: Japan
Year of Production: 1998
Running Times: 95 mins
Format: colour
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Company Ltd
Producers: Masato Hara, Takashige Ichise, Makoto Ishihara

SCRIPT
Screenplay: Hiroshi Takahashi
Novel: Ringu by Suzuki Kôji

DIRECTION
Director: Hideo Nakata

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Hideo Yamamoto

EDITOR
Editor: Nobuyuki Takahashi

MUSIC
Music: Kenji Kawai

SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Supervisor: Takuya Wada

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Matsumoto Hajime

CAST
Miki Nakatani (Mai Takano)
Hitomi Satou (Masami Kurahashi)
Kyouko Fukada (Kanae Sawaguchi)
Fumiyo Kohinata (Dr Kawajiri)
Kenjirou Ishimaru (Oomuta investigator)
Yuurei Yanagi (Okazaki)
Rikiya Ootaka (Youichi Asakawa)
Youichi Numata (Takashi Yamamura)
Nanako Matsushima (Reiko Asakawa)
Hiroyuki Sanada (Ryuuji Takayama)
Tarou Suwa (Kadokura investigator)
Yoshiko Yura (Hayashi nurse)
Shirou Namiki (skull-restorer)
Tomo Taniguchi (policewoman)
Youko Chousokabe (Ukai nurse)
Daisuke Ban (Heihachirou Dr Ikuma)
Katsumi Muramatsu (Kouichi Asakawa)
Masako (Shizuko Yamamura)
Rie Inoo (Sadako Yamamura)
Miwako Kaji (Kazue Yamamura)
Reita Serizawa (Sakuma)
Shinmei Tsuji (apartment house manager)
Kinto Tamura (old man)
Takashi Nishina (assistant)
Takahiko Tamura (cameraman)
Isao Yadu (taxi driver
Mebuki Tsuchida (young Sadako)

PLOT SUMMARY

Student Mai Takano tries to piece together the truth behind the mysterious death of her lover, Ryuji. She begins to search for the videotape supposedly possessed by the spirit of Sadako, which is said to have the power to kill anyone within a week of viewing it. Mai discovers that Ryuji's son, Yuuichi, may be developing the same awesome psychic powers as Sadako and that Sadako has targeted Mai and the boy as her next victims...

PLOT SUMMARY

It probably goes without saying that it's not as strong as the original, but such is the case with the disappointing Ringu 2. It still has its fair share of memorable horror moments (a pair of hands on a window sill that proves unexpectedly scary and a deeply weird and unsettling transformation on a piece of looping videotape) but there's simply too much going on for its own good. Indeed it feels like there might be enough material here for at least three different films. One can't fault Nakata for wanting to give us so much, but the end result feels like overkill.

Hong Kong
Theatrical Distributor: EDKO Film Ltd

Japan
Theatrical Distributor: Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Company Ltd
Video Distributor: Kadokawa Shoten/ Asmic Ace (A16H-00218)
DVD Distributor: Kadokawa Shoten/Asmic Ace (KABD-82)

UK
Theatrical Distributor: ICA Projects
Video Distributor: Metro Tartan
DVD Distributor: Metro Tartan

Hong Kong
Rating: IIB

UK
Rating: 12 (theatrical); 18 (video)

1999
Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
Best Film (Hideo Nakata) - nominated

1999
January
23: Japan - theatrical release

June
10: Hong Kong - theatrical release

July
3: Taiwan - theatrical release

October
14: Singapore - theatrical release

2000
September
27: Finland - shown at the Helsinki International Film Festival

2001
January
12: UK - theatrical release

April
27: UK - shown at the National Film Theatre, London (in NFT2)
28: UK - shown at the National Film Theatre, London (in NFT2)
29: UK - shown at the National Film Theatre, London (in NFT3)

July
30: UK - video and DVD release

November
4: UK - television broadcast (on FilmFour)

2002
May
13: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

Ring 2 - International English title

SEQUEL TO
Ringu (1998)
Rasen (1998)

SEE ALSO
Rasen (1999)
Ring Virus (1999)

PREQUEL
Ringu 0: Baasudei (2000)

REMAKE OF
Ring: Jiko ka! Henshi ka! Yottsu no inochi o ubau shôjo no onnen (1995)

REMAKE
Ring: Saishushô (1999)

WEB LINKS
Ringworld - "Your source for the most complete information on the Ring available on the internet"

MAGAZINES

Cinemad no.3 (2000) p.18 (USA)
review (by Theron Patterson)

Empire February 2001 (UK)
illustrated review (by Mark Dinning)

Film Review no.602 (February 2001) p.36 (UK)
illustrated review (by Alan Jones)

Sight and Sound vol.11 no.10 (October 2001) p.65 (UK)
DVD review (by Danny Leigh)

Starburst no.276 (August 2001) p.69 (UK)
illustrated video review (by Ian Atkins)

Variety 2 August 1999 p.34 (USA)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

OTHER SOURCES

54th Edinburgh Film Festival Catalogue 13-17 August 2000 p.131 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

sequels, videotapes, possession, children, psychics, scientists, journalists, wells, revenge

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008