The Ring Virus (1999)

In this chilling Korean adaptation of the mega-popular horror hit The Ring, Journalist Sun-Ju is investigating the sudden death of her cousin. She finds a videotape filled with strange images and a chilling message that whoever watches the tape will die within a week. With the help of a neurologist, Sun-Ju must solve the mystery before she herself becomes the next victim. Extremely stylish and creepy as hell, The Ring Virus will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to its shocking end."

Didn't hold my interest at all - I couldn't even finish it

First off, let me say, the Japanese version, "Ringu", is one of my favorite movies. Going in, I didn't expect to like this version as much simply because I love "Ringu" so much. However, right from the start "Ring Virus" seemed to drag.

The main charecter says her lines as if in a trance or half asleep in the Korean track. I did try to listen to the English dub and found the loud, overly bouncy voices distracting. Her personality is bland and boring and honestly, I can't see myself caring one way or the other what happens to her. They also changed from both the American and Japanese version in that the person she inlists to help her is not her ex-husband but rather some random doctor. Serveral other reviewers have said they enjoy his "quirkiness" but honestly he just annoyed me.

The plot itself moves much slower than "Ringu" or the American "The Ring". To slow for me; I had to shut it off not even half way in because I was dozing off.

The death scenes are blah. You know those eerie, startling looks of terror frozen on the faces of those who die as result of the video? Not here. The tape itself, which is so so strange and bizzare in both "The Ring" and "Ringu" is also blah. You can't make out mostly anything except fuzziness and some lady babbles about "Granny knows you're going to bear a baby soon." Oh, terrifying.

I really don't suggest this. Unless you have insomnia. Then maybe it's for you - you'll be dozing off 15 minutes in. February 6, 2006

The Ring Virus

I liked the movie a lot, good saspence, keeps ya guessing.
a lil on the weird side :) hehe .
defintly worth getting. September 1, 2005

Sickly "Virus"

Believe it or not, Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" wasn't the first remake of the hit horror movie. A few years before that, a Korean remake of the original Japanese film was undertaken, but "Ring Virus" lacks a cohesive script, dramatic tension or semi-realistic characters.

Journalist Hong Sun-Ju (Eun-Kyung Shin) learns her young niece and her pals have died mysteriously -- the official report is that they all had heart attacks, but Sun-Ju notices that the girl was tearing out her hair. The one similarity is a videotape full of odd images, which Sun-Ju watches. At the end is a warning that she will die in seven days, if she doesn't follow the following instructions. Too bad some idiot taped over those instructions.

After what has happened to her niece, Sun-Ju is freaked out. She seeks the help of the quirky coroner Dr. Chin (Jin-yeong Jeong), who supports the curse theory of the videotape. The two of them explore the sinister past of a Korean island, a famous psychic, and the mysterious young girl Eun-suh (Du-na Bae) who is the key to the curse.

Yeah, it sounds pretty similar to both "Ringu" and "The Ring," and it does have the same basic plot. There are a few differences, like Sun-Ju having a daughter, but in essence it's the same plot. Except, of course, that the movie surrounding that plot is a stinker.

The thing that kills "Ring Virus" is director Dong-bin Kim. His direction is choppy and often lifts scenes from the far superior Hideo Nakata -- which basically means that comparisons are inevitable. He doesn't know how to make the movie creepy and tense, or to take advantage of the suspenseful moments, like the face hidden in Eun-suh's hair.

Eun-Kyung Shin does a passable job, but she seems too passive; Jin-yeong Jeong has a fun character, and he plays up the quirkiness well, but he sticks out like a sore thumb. Especially since his entire reason for being in the film (besides being a love interest) is to make wild leaps in logic, and telling the audience information that he can't possibly have figured out on his own.

The most disastrous character is Eun-suh, the ghoulgirl who made the curse in the first place. The entire plot essentially revolves around her scheming, evil personality. Turning her into a mopey teenager -- complete with flashbacks -- rather than someone who has become utterly evil essentially destroys the whole idea of the cursed videotape.

"Ring Virus" has one or two interesting things going for it, but the stumbling direction and terrible Eun-suh are enough to sink it. This is one virus that should be medicated away. August 26, 2005

aniyo

Once upon a time, I watched the U.S. "The Ring" for the very first time. Then right after that, I watched the Korean "The Ring Virus" for the very first time. Well...

Since then, I've gotten the Japanese "Ringu" and watched it a few times. And today I just watched the Korean "The Ring Virus" again. This time around, "The Ring Virus" made a bit more sense than the first time I watched, but I still had a bit of trouble following the story--according to this film itself. Yes, it DOES follow the original Japanese noval MUCH closer then either of the other versions, but there were still times at which I wouldn't have known what was going on if I hadn't seen any of the other films.

People say, "Oooh, the Korean version is the scariest!" Y'all gotta be kidding me! This movie didn't so much as give me chills, where as watching the Japanese "Ringu" last night with the commentary on did. "The Ring Virus" VICTOMS didn't even look frightened when they died. The budget for "Ringu" couldn't afford grotesquely distorted dummies like they made for "The Ring," but the Japanese actors at least posed like they really had been frightened to death.

Oh, and the Korean "cursed video" was the least interesting of them all. Its images were more random and irrelevent then the others, and they didn't even show the important details at the moments that should have been most frightening. (Instead of seeing such when the victoms were first watching the video, we see the details only when the video is being *researched.*) I'm not sure how the video was presented in the original noval, but I also thought that the on-screen instructions for spreading the curse distracted from the possible terror.

In short, eh, watch "The Ring Virus" if you want to know all the different angles about the story. But if you really want specifically KOREAN horror at its finest, get "Phone," or "The Wishing Stairs" a.k.a. "A Horror in Highschool 3." August 17, 2005

More like the book then the american/japanese versions.

If you read the book Ring, Spiral, and Loop, you'd find out that the book was more of a detective and supernatural storyline, not exactly meant to scare the socks off you, but to pick at your mind...if you are used to actually having to think when you watch a movie.

This movie is not for those that are used to sitting in an american theater and be given everything that the directors/creators are trying to tell you...you actually have to think...just like when reading a novel...or when you were in school. July 31, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...