One of the things I find interesting is to view and compare different versions of the same story, and this film was one of those at the top of my list.
The Japanese film essentially took the majority of the novel's plot, and exorcised (pardon the pun) anything it didn't particularly like. A few minor tweakings here
and there, and a cult classic was born.
The makers of The Ring Virus didn't go for this approach. It is still tweaked in a few places - most notably the female protagonist, and changing the setting. However, the makers essentially took all the plot elements from the novel and attempted to make it into a film. The trouble is, in attempting to be faithful, it brings in elements which don't work as well on film as they did on paper.
So while it's not necessarily a bad film, it's more that it's more appealing to hardcore fans, purists, or people who simply prefer the novel's angle to the Japanese film's angle. Personally I prefer the Japanese film, and I have the novel to explore what was left out, so this doesn't interest me that much now I've seen it. But this film is out there for those of you who won't agree with me.
January 7, 2009
