“The Ring Two” arrives six months after Samara’s curse claimed Jake Pierce, and it wants to be scarier than the first film. It is not. The 2005 sequel, directed by Hideo Nakata and written by Ehren Kruger, spends its runtime chasing the dread of the original without landing a single blow. The curse still works, but the movie around it has grown weaker.
Naomi Watts returns as Rachel Keller, now living in Astoria, Oregon, with her young son Aidan. Jake’s death sends ripples through the town, and Rachel discovers that Samara has been hunting her. The setup is simple: Samara kills anyone who watches her cursed videotape, and she now believes Rachel knows too much about her past. The problem is that the script keeps leaning on the same trick. The cursed videotape is the engine of the story, and once the film has shown it twice, there is nowhere left to go.
Jake’s Seventh Day
Jake Pierce is the new center of the curse. He watches the tape on his seventh day, desperate to pass it along to a friend named Emily. She steps into the kitchen while he calls out to her, and the film shows the moment in slow motion, a drop of water pooling on the floor. Then the blood pours from under the kitchen door. The scene is meant to be shocking, but the slow motion and the repeated image of Jake’s murder have dulled the effect. It is a trick that worked once, and it is not working anymore.
Rachel finds Jake’s body and Samara appears, declaring she has been looking for her. That line lands better than the scene it comes in, because the archive footage of Daveigh Chase as Samara has presence even when the writing around her is thin. She is a force in the film, but the script gives her nothing to do except chase Rachel and Aidan. The curse itself becomes the villain, and that is a structural weakness. A supernatural entity should be more than a shadow in the background.
Aidan is the real victim here. He experiences nightmares where Samara drags him into a television, and he starts showing signs of possession: hypothermia and bruises on his arms. At a county fair, he wanders into a restroom and takes photographs of his reflection, where Samara appears. The deer attack on the way home is a cheap scare, and the film leans on animal menace where it should lean on human dread. Samara is a ghost, not a bear trap.
The Cursed Tape Runs Out
The film’s central mechanism is the cursed videotape, and it is wearing thin. The original “Ring” established that watching the tape brings death, and the sequel repeats that rule without adding to it. Jake’s death is a variation on the first film’s setup, but the variation is slight. The tape is still deadly, and the rules around it remain unchanged.
There is a moment where Rachel tries to burn the tape, but the fire goes out. Samara appears, and the film cuts to a close-up of a hand reaching for the flame. It is a tense shot, but the tension is borrowed from the original. The sequel is borrowing its own tricks, and that is a sign of trouble. A film should build on its predecessor, not repeat it.
The film also introduces a psychiatrist named Emma Temple, who suspects child abuse on the part of Rachel. This subplot adds texture to the story, but it is never fully developed. The suspicion hangs over the film without resolving into anything. The doctor who treats Aidan sees Samara in the bathroom, and he forces Rachel to take Aidan to the hospital. That scene is effective, but it is a one-off scare rather than a sustained threat.
The Cast Carries What the Script Can’t
Simon Baker plays Max Rourke, the editor of The Daily Astorian, and he gives the film its best performance. His Max is a steady presence, a man who understands the danger Rachel is in and helps her through it. His scenes with Watts are the strongest in the film, because the chemistry between them holds together a plot that is starting to fray. Baker sells the fear without ever raising his voice, and that restraint makes his scenes work.
Elizabeth Perkins plays Dr. Emma Temple, the psychiatrist who suspects Rachel of abusing Aidan. Her role is small, but she grounds the film in a professional perspective. She is not a scream queen, and that makes her scenes more convincing. Gary Cole plays Martin Savide, and his character is less defined. He exists to provide information, but he does not become a threat. The film is missing a strong antagonist to push against Rachel and Aidan, and that absence leaves the middle section feeling empty.
Sissy Spacek plays Evelyn, Samara’s mother, and her presence is a highlight of the film. She is a force in the story, and the film gives her a few scenes where she can act. The archive footage of Daveigh Chase as Samara is used sparingly, and that is wise. The film does not need to keep reminding the audience what Samara looks like.
Ryan Merriman plays Jake Pierce, and his performance is adequate. He is a victim, and the film treats him as such. There is no arc for him beyond his death. The same can be said for the other supporting actors, who are given lines but not much else. Kelly Overton plays Betsy, and her scenes are minor. James Lesure plays the doctor, and his role is limited to the hospital sequence. Emily VanCamp plays Emily, and her role is small. The film is crowded with names, but only a few of them get to do anything.
Where the Sequel Falls Short
The film’s biggest problem is that it is repeating a formula that worked once. The cursed videotape is a great premise, but it only works once. The sequel tries to make it work again, and it cannot. The result is a film that feels like a retread, not a progression. The curse is still deadly, but the film around it has grown weaker.
The pacing is also an issue. The film is 109 minutes long, and it fills that time with scenes that could have been trimmed. The middle section, where Rachel investigates Samara’s past, drags because the investigation is not interesting enough to sustain a whole film. The film needs a stronger hook, and it never finds one.
The film also suffers from a lack of surprise. The first film was scary because it kept the viewer guessing. The sequel is predictable. The audience knows what will happen when someone watches the tape, and the film does not try to hide it. That predictability drains the tension from the story. A scare works best when it is unexpected, and the sequel is full of expected scares.
The Deer Attack
The film’s final stretch is where it tries to pull everything together. Rachel realizes Samara may possess Aidan, and the film shifts into a chase sequence. The deer attack is a cheap scare, but it sets up a confrontation between Rachel and Samara. The film’s climax is a chase through the town, and it is a decent action sequence. It is not a great one, but it is the best the film has to offer.
The film ends with a callback to the original. Rachel destroys the tape, and the curse is broken. It is a tidy ending, but it feels like a letdown after a film that spent so much time building to a climax that never arrives. The film’s final image is a close-up of the tape, burning in the fire. It is a fitting end, but it is also a reminder of how much the film has repeated itself.
The Numbers Tell the Story
| Detail | The Ring Two |
|---|---|
| Director | Hideo Nakata |
| Writer | Ehren Kruger |
| Runtime | 109 minutes |
| Genre | Drama, Horror, Thriller |
| Release Date | March 18, 2005 |
| Budget | $50 million |
| Gross | $164 million |
The film’s financial numbers are impressive. It made $164 million against a $50 million budget, which is a solid return. That success is not reflected in the quality of the film. The sequel is a box office hit that is not a good movie. The film’s success is a marketing triumph, not a creative one.
“Fear comes full circle.”
That tagline is accurate, but it is also a warning. The circle closes, but it does not improve the story. The film is a loop, and the loop is not a spiral.
The Verdict
“The Ring Two” is a disappointment. It is a sequel that repeats its predecessor’s tricks without adding anything new. The cursed videotape remains a great idea, but the film around it is weak. The cast is talented, but they are given little to do. The film’s pacing drags, and its scares are predictable. The ending is tidy, but it is also a letdown.
The film is not a failure. It is a missed opportunity. It has a great premise, a talented cast, and a director with a track record of making scary films. None of that is enough to save it. The sequel is a step down from the original, and that is a difficult position for any filmmaker to recover from.
The film’s best moments are its quiet ones. Simon Baker and Naomi Watts have a rapport that makes their scenes work, and the film is at its best when it slows down and lets them talk. The film’s worst moments are its loud ones. The deer attack, the chase sequence, and the final confrontation all feel like padding. They are not bad scenes, but they are unnecessary ones.
The film is a mixed bag, and it is a bag that weighs more heavily on the negative side. The scares are fewer and farther between, and the story is less focused. The film is a lesser entry in a franchise that started strong. It is a sequel that should have been better.
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