Reiko and her son Yoichi are back in Ringu 2, but after more of her family succumbs to the cursed tape she left with her father, they find themselves under suspicion and wanted for questioning by the police. Reiko decides to go into hiding to save her son. Mai Takano (Miki Nakatani; Ringu, Chaos) returns, as the film's lead, to investigate the her boss' death in conjunction with Reiko's disappearance. She meets a local television reporter Okazaki (played by the somewhat nondescript Yanagi Yuurei) who discovers the cursed VHS continues to be circulated, begins tracking it's use and the deaths that surround it. The joint mission becomes first to find Reiko and her son and next to find the solution to end Sadako's Curse.
The trouble I have with the film, (and I honestly tried to not immediately cut into it), is that during, and as I revisit the movie, my takes tend to manifest as direct comparisons to Ringu. It's inescapable, and I apologize in advance. We have people watching the VHS. They pass it on in an attempt to save themselves. We have some purposefully watching it, and we have some accidentally seeing it. Warnings are given about it's content. We have an investigation. And again, someone returns to Sadako's home for a finale. Sound familiar? Add in a visit to a mental institution to interview a survivor of "the tape", where the Mai & Okazaki meet a doctor who seems to have an inside track on solving Sadako's Curse, and you have your sequel in a nutshell. I won't say it's a predictable movie by any means. I can say however, that with few exceptions, surprise will not be the order of the day. If an extra 20 minutes were added to Ringu, this film might be rendered unnecessary. Or better yet, I would be satisfied that the complete story was told.
The better portions of Ringu 2 are definitely the scenes concerning the VHS and it's history. There is nothing more chilling than watching the grainy, stuttering flashes just before "The Well" appears! And we all know what happens after that... The remainder, I'm afraid, succumbs to Nakata's hurried screenplay; which, is saddled with forced material. (Let's not mention the failed first attempt at a sequel; "Rasen"). Which is unfortunate. The oft written about pressure to follow Ringu with a rock solid and timely sequel is most assuredly spot on.
Ringu 2 isn't as bad as all that, if only for the simple fact that it's visually magnificent and sports a monster soundtrack. My sub-woofer was working overtime on the deep effects during those creepy Sadako scenes and those shots of the VHS sent chills down my spine! Again, the scariest moments surround the tape and the short visit to Sadako history, once Mai travels back to the Yamamura home. In the end though, it's barely a sequel that needed to be made. It's also a sequel I wouldn't spend an inordinate amount of time tracking down. At the very least, make sure you've seen it's infinitely better predecessor.
