Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Ring Two 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Ring Two is the follow-up to the original fan-favorite. Based on the novel series by Kôji Suzuki, The Ring Two takes things in a new direction – diverging from the course that was first established in the Japanese Ringu sequel and offering something different as a continuation of The Ring. Produced by Laurie MacDonald (The Ring, The Uninvited) and Walter F. Parkes (The Ring, The Time Machine), The Ring Two is an underrated sequel – one that is often overlooked by horror fans (especially in regards to the unrated and extended cut).

Rachel (Naomi Watts) has decided to leave her old world behind and move on from the curse of the mysterious videotape. Bringing along her son Aidan (David Dorfman), Rachel and Aiden move to a smaller community: Astoria, Oregon. Rachel burns the cursed videotape and decides that things are finally over. Yet Rachel learns of a teenager who died in a similar fashion after watching a strange videotape. The mystery of the death causes Rachel to wonder if it is the same cursed videotape. Could the curse be following her?

Rachel finds herself in a new job at The Daily Astorian. The editor of the newspaper, Max Rourke (Simon Baker), decides to help them out – Rachel and Aidan staying over while things are figured out. With the possibility of the curse continuing in Astoria, Rachel continues to work on tying together threads in the mystery – including meeting the birth mother of Samara, Evelyn (Sissy Spacek) – who is confined to a psychiatric hospital. Aidan has a stronger link to Samara than first realized. Chaos ensues as the curse continues to wreak havoc for Rachel and her family.

Where would The Ring Two be without star Naomi Watts? Watts performance is one of the best parts of the film. Watts continues to carry the franchise on her shoulders. This is Watts film series and she owns it. The actress understands how to add to the film with her nuanced acting and dedication to the part. Watts give it her all and is impressive in the second outing. Indeed, one gets the feeling that Watts should return to the franchise should it ever be rebooted again – as she is the clear star of it all.

The production is well mounted and there are a lot of commendable artistic elements on display in terms of the production elements. The production design by Jim Bissell (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and art direction by Christa Munro (Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, Jurassic World) are fantastic and are far better than one might expect to find for the sequel. The design elements certainly provide a sense of professionalism and sophistication that fits the horror sequel perfectly. The costumes by Wendy Chuck (The Holdovers, Nebraska) also add to the aesthetic qualities of the film. The costumes seem excellent for the lead characters (especially Naomi Watts) and this keeps the style cohesive with the first film.

The score for The Ring Two is composed by Henning Lohner (Night Train, BloodRayne) and Martin Tillman (Last Knights, Dark Hearts) and it utilizes the established themes of The Ring composer Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception). The score is better than expected given that it is not the score of Zimmer himself. Much of this is due to the score relying on the themes established by him. Nonetheless, a solid score but not one that is in the same league as the original The Ring score.

The cinematography by Gabriel Beristain (Black Widow, Blade II) is one of the best elements of The Ring Two. The Ring Two is a great looking film and the cinematography plays a huge role in the style of the film: The Ring Two has plenty of style and sophistication in regards to the visual look achieved by the cinematographer. The cinematography still isn’t quite as visually impressive as in The Ring but it still stands out alongside the first film with plenty of sleek and eerie visuals.

Written by Ehren Kruger (The Ring, Scream 3), The Ring Two is an entertaining follow-up to the original. The sequel script offers more mystery and suspense revolving around the cursed videotape and the origins of Samara. The script diverts from the original and explores the universe of The Ring in an entertaining (if different) way. Since the tape is destroyed early on in the installment, The Ring Two focuses a lot more on the curse of Samara aspect – in how it continues to affect Rachel and Aidan even without the tape being around to slide into VCRs. The second installment delves into the curse as it has affected Aidan and one can see the parallels between the mother-son relationship of Rachel and Aidan juxtaposed to the mother-daughter relationship of Samara and her adoptive mother.

Directed by Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Dark Water), The Ring Two is underrated in the canon of The Ring film franchise – both in terms of the Hollywood films and the Japanese film series. The Ring Two received mostly muted or negative critical response when first released theatrically. The Ring Two didn’t garner the acclaim of the original. While it is true that The Ring Two isn’t as good as The Ring, The Ring Two is a lot more entertaining than some give it credit for and it is all the better in the unrated, extended edition.

The extended version of the film adds approximately twenty minutes of footage and it has some notable differences – including a different opening scene and several sequences that are extended. The unrated cut showcases more of the stylistic choices of Nakata as a director than the theatrical cut. Though both cuts have some merit, the unrated cut of The Ring Two is superior.

Some of the trademark visual shots of Nakata as seen in his Japanese films are visible in the unrated version but are missing from the theatrical cut of the film. The “slow-burn” filmmaking style is apparent in several sequences of the unrated cut and is not a factor in the theatrical version (which feels edited to remove some of the slow-burn trademarks of the J-horror genre). The unrated version feels a lot more complete and there are even some scenes with visual cues that reference earlier sequences that are simply missing from the theatrical version.

The Ring Two got a bad wrap and while some of the criticisms were valid upon release, the unrated version is a more effective cut of the film. Regardless of which cut one prefers or watches, the film certainly still showcases terrific style. The finale centers around Rachel and the well – the eeriness providing a great conclusion to the second entry. There are still great visuals and a fun time to be had with some eerie scares in The Ring Two.

The Ring Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD by Shout Factory, The Ring Two is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The release is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration, restored from the original camera negative. It is worth noting that this native 4K restoration is only for the theatrical version as this is the source-material (camera negative) that was available for a 4K scan and extensive restoration.

The 4K restoration is outstanding and is the best The Ring Two has ever looked – in theaters or on home media. I recall seeing The Ring Two opening weekend theatrically and being impressed by the visual experience yet the visuals look even more immersive and rewarding on the 4K UHD. An exceptional 4K scan of The Ring Two and the visual fidelity looks all the more engaging than even my original theatrical viewing. Even though the unrated version is my preferred cut of The Ring Two, revisiting the theatrical cut on 4K UHD was a ton of fun – especially with such improved visuals.  The HDR implementation is subtle but effective during the presentation.

The unrated version of the feature-film comes from a different source and is not restored in the same manner of care due to the elements available for the version. The unrated version differs quite a lot in comparison. The unrated version shows occasional specks of dirt, scratches, and other filmic looking imperfections that are not visible on the 4K scan of the camera negative provided for the theatrical version.

In a perfect world, the unrated version would also be available on 4K UHD with a fresh scan but given the source limitations for this version it is nice just having it included with the box-set – with a filmic presentation (though it's also a bit dated looking as a transfer). I compared it to the Japanese Blu-ray disc release of The Ring Two (an out-of-print release and the only prior Blu-ray release worldwide with the unrated version provided) and the visual qualities are quite similar on both of the releases for the unrated presentation.

Please Note: The 4K rating score of "5" is for the 4K UHD disc with the theatrical cut restored from the original camera negative only. The Blu-ray disc score of "4" is an average between the two versions provided on disc two: the theatrical cut restored from the original camera negative with a new 4K restoration and the unrated version (from a different high-definition master).

The Ring Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound in lossless 24-bit depth high-resolution. The lossless audio encoding provides an exceptional audio presentation of the source material. The high-resolution lossless audio sounds great and the surround mix is engaging throughout the feature presentation. The sound mix feels right-at-home alongside the 4K restoration and is crisp to listen to. The audio quality of the unrated version (on the second disc) is not quite as crisp as on the 4K UHD disc but is still perfectly listenable and enjoyable. The 4K disc sounds even crisper in terms of high fidelity. The score is well reproduced.

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

The release includes both the theatrical cut (HD, 1:49:30) and the unrated cut (HD, 2:07:52). Both cuts are selectable on the second disc. The unrated version is arguably a superior cut – the one I prefer – and it has plenty of great moments missing from the theatrical version. The inclusion of both cuts of the film is the best "supplement" for the release (with previously- released foreign Blu-ray editions only offering one cut or the other on previous editions). The 4K UHD of the theatrical cut is entertaining and has the best visual fidelity to date but the unrated cut is the best version.

NEW Audio Commentary with Film Critics Emily Higgins and Billy Dunham

Rings – Short Film (HD, 16:42)

Deleted Scenes (SD, 18:37)

Fear on Film: Special Effects (SD, 5:45)

Faces of Fear: The Phenomenon (SD, 6:12)

Samara: From Eye to Icon (SD, 5:48)

The Power of Symbols (SD, 5:20)

The Making of The Ring Two (SD, 13:02)

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:30)

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

The Ring Two is an underrated installment in The Ring franchise. The second entry in the film series is a lot more mysterious and entertaining than some of its detractors have suggested. I enjoy the film in both the theatrical and unrated version – though the unrated version is superior. One of the great aspects of The Ring Two is that it brought in director Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Dark Water) to direct. Naomi Watts delivers a strong performance while being as gorgeous as always.  

The 4K UHD release includes both cuts but only the theatrical version has received a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. Source limitations of the alternate unrated cut means it is only provided on Blu-ray disc in the collection. Still, it is nice to have both cuts in one collection and it certainly is wonderful to revisit both versions. The 4K upgrade is significant – I can't recall ever experiencing The Ring Two before with such impressive visual fidelity. Highly recommended.