ninelives

the last part where the mother put the tape in , pushed play. Put another in, pushed rec. Then the son said " wat happen to the people if we showed it to them".

So what now? Are the mother and son going to die? why are the duplicating the tape again? what happen to the little gal next??

Thanks.

Groucho

The tape is a virus. If you don't spread the virus to somebody else within seven days, you die. So, to save her son Watts has to show the tape to somebody else...and so on and so on and so on.

cartman

Rachel didn't die because she made a copy of the tape, and someone else watched it. The reasoning behind this was that she was spreading the story, letting others know what happened. She figured this out, and to save her son's life, he had to make a copy of the tape (she held his finger to hit record), then give it to someone else to watch (which he presumably did after making the copy). So, they both live.

rfduncan

And move to Oregon... at least until The Ring 2 (now filming) comes out.

ninelives

u guys are genius ! thanks. :-)

majorjoe23

This probably belongs in movie talk.

Jah-Wren Ryel

FWIW, the Japanese version added some details as to who exactly ended up watching the tape for the kid. I thought it gave the ending a lot more of an impact.

Josh-da-man

The tape is like a chain letter.

You watch it, and if you don't copy the tape and give it to someone else within a week, you die.

Next time you're watching the movie, pay close attention to who watches which tape, when it's copied, etc.

movieking

What happened?

Numanoid

Numanoid

On a personal side note, the first time I ever saw the original Ringu was when my wife, who is Japanese, brought me a tape labelled "copy" and made me watch it. I tell you, I didn't sleep well until that 7th day was over.

shawagg

Isn't there an alternate ending on the disc? I remember seeing one where... well I don't want to spoil it. I don't know how to put the spoiler tags up so I'll leave it at that for now.

On another note, I think this movie is very underrated. When I saw it I loved it, but others weren't quite as enthusiatic.

nemein

Since this seems to be more about the movie than the DVD itself I'm moving it to the Movie forum...

ninelives

i saw a lot of reviews about this movie so i went to buy the DVD. Most people got problem sleeping or checking their TV to see if it is ok after watching it.

But it doesn't bother me at all. Not really that scary.

Abob Teff

The Japanese original is much better . . . I never inderstood why people raved about the Naomi Watts version.

ninelives

coz people think the jap version no special effect.

Goat3001

Plot itself wasn't too scary but it was the few "jump" scenes that got me.

Obey The D

Regurgitator

Not quite right. It has nothing to do with someone else who has to watch it within 7 days in order to live. It only matters if you make another copy. As long as you made another copy then you're already safe. They could have just keep the tapes around somewhere but they decided to place them in a videostore which gave the ending a little more suspense or someone else may have found them and did that.

Groucho

Regurgitator, I disagree completely. In both the Japanese and American versions of this film it's made clear that somebody else must watch the tape.

filmerp

From IMDB:

Regurgitator

I haven't seen the Japanese version as of yet but in the American version didn't she say to her kid that everything is fine now after she got him to make a copy of the tape? If everything is fine, the kid wouldn't have to wait for another person to watch the tape in order to live.

BTW, even though it's in a video rental store.. what's the likely event someone will pick up one of the two VHS tapes lying around without a box or label within 7 days and out of that the one the kid made? Hardly anyone rents VHS tapes anymore and a store clerk may or may not watch the right tape (the one the kid made).

slowcloud

I think that the alternate ending at the video store was deleted for many reasons. It's like a joke that doesn't work because the movie's logic deflates it as many of you are demonstrating by giving this false ending credibility by including it in this argument. I think if you stick to the original ending it feels more appropriate. I think Ninelives, Groucho and Regurgitator are all correct. You are arguing subtleties that do not change the meaning in the big picture, but you are all still loading the ending with your own personal creativity. That's what I like about this movie; it allows the audience to interpret the ending in their own way. I also love the surreal quality in which the events in the film unfold. Some might say the film could be strung together by coincidence and some irrational behavior by characters like Samara's "parents," but that all adds to the film's surreal quality. I actually liked the US version more that the Japanese one, by the way.

Fok

Wasn't the Japanese version a trilogy?

Groucho

Well, he'll be fine once somebody else watches it...which is why he asks the question that prompted this thread in the first place.