Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

The Ring 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Ring is a psychological horror film with a devoted cult fanbase. Based on the original novel by Kôji Suzuki, The Ring is a Hollywood remake of the Japanese horror film Ringu (directed by Hideo Nakata). The Ring was also inspired by the script for Ringu (as written by Hiroshi Takahashi). Produced by Laurie MacDonald (The Ring Two, The Uninvited) and Walter F. Parkes (The Ring Two, The Time Machine), The Ring stars Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, and David Dorfman.

An urban legend that is more than mere myth: several teenagers hear stories of a mysterious videotape that will kill you seven days after watching it. After watching the videotape themselves, four teenagers soon meet their untimely demise. Viewing the videotape will lead to the deaths of those who watch it and the body count is quickly rising. Investigative journalist Rachel (Naomi Watts) hears about the mysterious videotape that kills those who watch it and decides to track down the tape and see it for herself.

Rachel sets out on an investigative journey to find out more about the tape and its origins. Who created the tape and are all the tales of it true? As Rachel spends countless hours examining newspapers, old video recordings, and more, the mystery of the videotape unfolds. Now that Rachel has watched the videotape herself, she has just seven days to solve the mystery or lose her own life.

Enlisting the help of ex-boyfriend Noah (Martin Henderson), who specializes in analyzing videotapes, Rachel sets it upon herself to uncover the mystery of the tape. Rachel must also look after her young son, Aidan (David Dorfman). The video is a part of the mystery of Samara (Daveigh Chase), an adopted girl capable of using unique psychic abilities to create bizarre and frightening images in people’s minds.

Naomi Watts is the star of the show. The Ring is her film and her showcase. Watts is one of my favorite actresses and she always manages to impress with her performances. An incredible talent, Watts is a brilliant actress and she manages to imbue so much depth to her role. Watts elevates the film by providing an exceptional performance.

There is just something about Watts: every subtle nuance throughout her performance in The Ring provides a deeper sense of depth to the storytelling. Watts manages to convey so much emotion and gravitas with her performance and during even the more subtle moments of the film the performance shines through. Sequences are even more riveting because of her – Watts is so invested in the character and role that everything feels more real and mysterious in The Ring.

The production is incredible and there are a lot of wonderful components of The Ring. The production design by Tom Duffield (Ed Wood, The Weather Man) and art direction by Amriksingh Khokar (Daraar, Bhediya) and Patrick M. Sullivan Jr. (Devil, Goosebumps) are refined and add a great sense of detail to the filmmaking. The designs are more engaging than expected – even subtle elements such as a long staircase walked up by Aidan make for some eerie chills.

The costumes by Julie Weiss (12 Monkeys, The Gift) are pitch-perfect and work exceptionally well with the cast. The costume designs are certainly true to the characters. These costumes reflect both the personalities of the central characters – Rachel, Aidan, and Noah – and supporting parts (like the creepiness of the young Samara). A job well done by Weiss.

The score composed by Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Inception) is a masterpiece in-and-of-itself. The score is one of the best scores written by Zimmer. The creepy and eerie score is one of the best horror scores composed and it adds something mysterious and haunting to the film that is unshakable. The music is brilliant and one of the clear highlights of the film. A first-rate effort of Zimmer and a showcase of his genius.

The cinematography by Bojan Bazelli (A Cure for Wellness, Pumpkinhead) is one of the most important parts of the film. The cinematography is exquisite and the haunting visuals of the film are top-notch – mesmerizing and profound. Bazelli is a gifted cinematographer and the visuals in The Ring are both haunting and visually rewarding for viewers. The cinematography creates a complex dream-like quality that is essential to the filmmaking. The end result is a nightmarish visual journey that will stay with audiences.

Edited by Craig Wood (Tomorrowland, Guardians of the Galaxy), The Ring is a well-cut film. No moment feels wasted and the right takes were selected for the film. The editing by Wood is top-notch and helps the filmmaking work wonders. A perfect example of how essential editing can be to horror filmmaking.

Written by Ehren Kruger (Scream 3, Top Gun: Maverick), The Ring is a great Hollywood remake of the original Japanese horror classic. Kruger does a great job adapting the material. Though there are some changes made, The Ring is a surprisingly faithful remake in other respects – staying true to the essence of the source. The script fleshes out the characters in subtle ways and the lead role for Naomi Watts is well-written in particular. The script has fun with the premise and certainly delivers on the high-concept front.

Directed by Gore Verbinski (A Cure for Wellness, The Weather Man), The Ring is the first true Hollywood remake of a Japanese horror classic. The Ring started the huge “J-horror” remake train in North America with a bevy of other remakes produced of popular Japanese horror films and franchises following in the wake of the big box-office success for The Ring – The Grudge and The Eye amongst others. Verbinski has a ton of fun with the production and makes the filmmaking epic in every way. The Ring is no throwaway remake. The Ring stands right beside the original as an essential horror film.

One of the fun things about The Ring is the wonderful sense of mythology the film builds. The story has fun exploring the mythology of the videotape and the curse. There is an investigative side to the story: focusing on the role of Rachel as investigator and her goal to uncover the clues to solve the puzzle surrounding the cursed tape. The investigative element of the film sets The Ring apart from some popular horror franchises and adds an extra layer of mystery to the film. Scenes showing Rachel exploring the videotape – freeze- framing moments from the cursed video, analyzing the details, and pausing to contemplate what it means. A fly on the monitor – from the cursed videotape. (A good blend of the horror and mystery genres.)

The television set itself creates a sense of terror and frightening imagery because even simple things like television static were once quite frightening to experience for no apparent reason – perhaps the sound of the static and the flashing light. The cursed videotape in The Ring is a mesmerizing fright itself – showcasing haunting imagery that will stay with audiences and the eerie sound-effects and sound-design make these scenes all the more haunting and eerie to watch. The combination of brilliant surrealist horror visuals and unnerving sound effects made the curse feel real.

For what it’s worth, I saw the film theatrically when it first came out with one of my sisters and when the phone rings in the film for the first time – at the “seven days” mark – my sister’s phone rang at the exact same moment. It creeped me out enormously and added something to the viewing experience that otherwise would never have happened. Maybe it was my sister’s phone ringing, maybe it was that I was already scared by the scene projected in the movie theater, but it sent shivers up and down my spine. The Ring remains one of my all-time favorite horror films.

The Ring 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD by Shout Factory, The Ring is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The release provides a new native 4K restoration, completed with the supervision and approval of director Gore Verbinski. The new 4K scan is phenomenal and provides the best quality viewing experience of the film on home media. The restoration is sourced from the original camera negative.

Having seen The Ring many times between the theatrical release and previous home-media releases on DVD and Blu-ray, The Ring looks its absolute best on 4K UHD. The 4K UHD presentation is outstanding and is simply a thing of beauty. The filmic appearance of The Ring is stunning and the imagery looks as haunting as it did when I first viewing the film in theaters so many years ago.

The crisp and organic presentation has a subtle but enormously effective HDR grade that is true to the source. The visual wonders of the cinematography are on full display with the 4K restoration. Director Gore Verbinski supervised the restoration and it retains an organic and faithful 4K scan quality that provides the best possible viewing experience.

When I viewed The Ring on both DVD and Blu-ray, I certainly never imagined seeing such a pristine and flawless looking presentation on 4K. The 4K presentation is an easy upgrade. The haunting visuals are even more powerful with 4K. It brings me back to seeing The Ring theatrically – in some respects, it appears even more visually rewarding with the 4K restoration.

The Ring 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 in 24 bit high-resolution. The lossless audio encoding on the release is top-notch and adds a lot of depth and invigorating fun to the 4K UHD experience. An exceptional audio presentation. The lossless encoding is top-notch and there is little fault with the top-quality presentation. Fans of The Ring will be enormously pleased with the quality of the audio on the release. DTS- HD Master Audio remains my favorite audio option (even in the age of Atmos) with great bass/LFE management. The Ring has a clear soundtrack with the sound design well reproduced. The score composed by Hans Zimmer sounds incredible with the lossless encoding.

The Ring 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes legacy bonus features as well as a new documentary produced exclusively for the Shout Factory 4K UHD box-set.

NEW – Ghost Girl Gone Global (HD, 1:32:29) is a feature-length documentary newly produced for the set and exploring the world of The Ring and Samara. The documentary explores the legacy and the impact of the iconic horror character and The Ring franchise. It is wonderful to see a new documentary included on the release as a fun exclusive. Fans of The Ring franchise will definitely want to check it out.

Don't Watch This (HD, 15:26)

"Rings" Short Film (HD, 16:42)

The Origin of Terror (SD, 3:58)

Cast and Filmmaker Interviews (SD, 7:58)

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:10)

The Ring 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Ring is one of the best horror films ever made. One of the reasons The Ring works so well is because it combines the surrealism of Japanese horror with mystery storytelling. The film is a compelling mystery to be unraveled. Naomi Watts delivers a perfect performance. Hans Zimmer provides one of his greatest scores. Screenwriter Ehren Kruger did a great job adapting the original Japanese horror classic, Ringu.

Director Gore Verbinski supervised the 4K UHD restoration for the 4K UHD disc release. The 4K restoration is sourced from the original camera negative. The Ring has never looked so incredible before and the transfer is the best the film has ever looked since the original theatrical release. Consider it a gift – not a curse – to upgrade.

The 4K release also includes a powerful lossless audio presentation. The release even comes with a new and exclusive feature-length documentary: Ghost Girl Gone Global (exploring the legacy). The Ring is a must-own on 4K UHD. Highly recommended.