“Sadako” 2019 A Sequel For The Ring Movie
I remember the Japanese “The Ring” movie series as being some of the scariest tales I’d ever seen. Director Hideo Nakata has returned with “Sadako”, which opened the Fantasia International Film Festival 2019. Sadako is a sequel to the full “Ring” movie series. Nakata is renowned for some of the coolest storywriting in horror. His first film “Ringu” was released in 1998, followed by “Ringu 2″ in 1999. The franchise made Japanese horror cool. The films were Americanised quite successfully and there were other films, television, and adaptations that sprung out of the storyline of a cursed videotape.
Is the Sadako Curse Real?
Before you realize that I haven’t mentioned all the intermediate adaptations and the prequel, there are simply too many pathways to follow. We would be here all day if I tried to trace their character arcs in these movies. For the sake of avoiding confusion, I will stick to the timeline set by director Hideo Nakata for this Sadako movie review.
The sequel to the iconic horror movie The Ring received negative reviews shortly after its release. However, I bet you’re just curious to know if this title is equally as chilling as the original The Ring movie. Was I just as scared to turn off the lights after watching Sadako? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Firstly, the Sadako movie doesn’t bring any new scares. In fact, in the opening scenes, a girl named Sadako demonstrates weak telepathic abilities that are neither scary nor impressive. Sadako is introduced as the reincarnation of the original cursed Sadako entity. As a result, her mother locks her in a closet for her entire life. There is a small twist for those who closely follow the books, so I’ll refrain from entering spoiler territory.
Sadako 2019 Is a Part of The Ring Series
Previously we know the curse is passed on if the video is copied and someone else watches it. Here the curse gets a little more direct. Here, one must come in contact with the curse, and only then does it guarantee death. There is a catch to the hard and fast rule applied in the continuance of the story and that is the spirit of Sadako has a penchant for the unwanted.
For me though, unfortunately, there are too many loose threads. I did try to find the connections within just these three films as the first two flow from one to the other. Sadly, I’m at a loss to give any information on proper continuance. There is the familiar Sadako with her faceless hair coming out of both a well and a television set in Sadako, however, for three-quarters of the film, her appearance feels random.
Previous Japanese Ring stories assured certain actions predicted the fate of one of its characters, and Sadako relies on the disappearance of one person who wants to be a viral sensation. Youtuber Kazuma supplies the thread that ties everything together but it’s also with him that much of the story falls apart.
The Ring Series Is Scary?
However, as a standalone story that ties into the Japanese Ring series universe, Sadako is a solid film. It may lack the same punch as other movies in the Ring franchise, and there are even a couple of scenes that could elicit a chuckle from seasoned horror fans. But that doesn’t necessarily detract from its overall quality. The atmosphere, color palette, and general vibe are still present, albeit not as impactful as before.
And as for whether or not I got any sleep after watching this, I had no trouble at all.
I give Sadako
3 Firestarting Sadako’s out of 5
- INDONESIAN HORROR 2019: Joko Anwar’s Impetigore / The Queen of Black Magic
