AlthoughThe Ringis a classic, the arrival of its belated rebootRingson streaming is not necessarily a cause for celebration. There are14 movies inThe Ringfranchise, a series that boasts the rare distinction of succeeding with critics both in its original incarnation and its English-language remake.
Beginning with 1995’s under-seenRingu, the franchise gained critical acclaim with director Hideo Nakata’s 1998 follow-up, also titledRingu.Ringuwas a huge hit in its own right, but2002’s English-languageThe Ringintroduced the series to a new, larger audience and spawned sequels on its own.
The originalRinguseries is still ongoing, with over ten titles, includingRasen,Ringu 2,The Ring Virus,Sadako 3D,Sadako 3D 2,Sadako Vs Kayako, 2019’s rebootSadako, and 2022’sSadako DX. However, the English-language franchise was killed by an infamous 2017 reboot that failed to impress critics upon release.
2017’s Rings Was A Critically Slated Reboot of The Ring Franchise
The Movie Earned A Paltry 8% On Rotten Tomatoes
After the success of 2002’sThe Ring, 2005’s sequelThe Ring 2was seen as a critical disappointment. However, it was director F. Javier Gutiérrez’sRingsthat truly doomed the future of the franchise, and2017’sThe RingrebootRingswill soon be available to view on Prime Video from June 30.
RingsstarsRevenge’s breakout star Matilda Lutz as Julia, the latest victim of the franchise’s infamous curse. Julia must find a way to pass on the curse after viewing Samara’s video, but that is just the beginning of this needlessly convoluted reboot’s knotty plot.
Ringswas a failed attempt to update the franchise formula with a new take on the material.
Co-starring Vincent D’Onofrio, Johnny Galecki, and Aimee Teegarden,Ringswas a failed attempt to update the franchise formula with a new take on the material. AlthoughRingsearned $83 million on a budget of $25 million, the reboot wasn’t seen as a hit, largely thanks to its terrible reviews.
Our Take On Rings Streaming On Prime Video
The Ring Reboot Is Only Essential Viewing For Franchise Purists
Ringsreceived criticism from both extremes, withRotten Tomatoesreviews claiming that the reboot was both too similar to the original movie and too bizarre in its new variations on the franchise formula.The scariest scenes inThe Ringmoviesare genuinely terrifying, so it would have taken a lot forRingsto successfully live up to them.
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Sadako DX
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However, the critical panning that the movie received was still too much to justify another follow-up. Viewers who truly love the series and want to see all of its installments may want to check outRingsonce the movie arrives on Prime Video in July 2025, butThe Ringreboot is hardly essential viewing for anyone less invested in the franchise.
