shortly after an oddly quiet young woman and sadako yamamura ( yukie nakama ) and join a drama troupe and strange event and include death with suspicious circumstance and start occur . be sadako somehow connect to these event . and what do it have to do with a reporter investigate a year old tragedy at a psychic demonstration . series note represent there be many different film and television series and book and comic book and etc . base on the ring universe and and it very complicate try to sort them out . the japanese film know a ring or ringu can be number 0 ( this one ) and 1 ( ringu and 1998 ) and 2 ( ringu 2 and 1999 ) and and function well a a self contain story . this film and ring 0 represent birthday be a prequel . i prefer watch it first and but if you want more mystery in the other film and watch them in their release order represent ringu and ringu 2 and then ringu 0. note that there be also a japanese film name rasen ( aka spiral and 1998 ) which be mean to be a ring 2 and but that be later supersede with the 1999 ringu 2. rasen be supposedly closer to the second ring novel and but 1999 ringu 2 be see a more or less the official ringu sequel . there be an infamous mock commercial from the early day of saturday night live ( 1975 ) about a product name shimmer . shimmer be notable for be both a floor wax and a dessert topping . ring 0 have sadako a a shimmer like entity . only and instead of be just two kind of thing and she six a telekinetic and a psychic and a precognizant and a ghost and a psychic healer and and a physical manifestation of a split personality . the film overall have a shimmer like quality and too . it both a horror film and a slow and realistic drama with romance overtone . the horror stuff generally work and although sadako would have benefit from not have so many function . the more serious dramatic section and which take up almost an hour of this 90 minute film and be not quite a successful . the script and by hiroshi takahashi and from a story by ring novelist koji suzuki and be admirable on an artistic level . takahashi be fond of parallelism and set up the drama troupe rehearsal and performance a an innocuous veil that often match more sinister event beneath the surface . he frequently change our perspective so that we see a stage performer scream and say and at the same time someone offstage should be scream . these kind of parallel can be find throughout the film . the problem be that director norio tsuruta just can not get much momentum go with the material . the dramatic rehearsal and backstage bickering that take up a large percentage of screen time just aren not that eventful or excite . there be glimpse and through sadako or around her and of a more intriguing world and but theyre often little more than flash that might cause u to do a double take . takahashi and tsuruta work hard to establish a romance subplot involve a love triangle ( or two ) and but this can barely get off the ground . it often feel superfluous . the best material feature sadako in the early part of the film resemble something of a cross between a hitchcockian thriller and brian de palma carrie ( 1976 ) . but those be overly generous comparison and since at least the first hour of ring 0 have little of the suspense and style or directorial panache of either . i would have prefer a strong focus on shoko miyaji ( yoshiko tanaka ) and the reporter who be try to investigate the psychic demonstration tragedy . her scene and which tend to have the flavor of a police procedural with slight horror twinge and be entertain and and a large focus on her would have break up play rehearsal scene well . it would have also give the character more weight for the climax and which would have give the end even great impact . a it stand and the last half hour be still the best part . we finally unravel much of the mystery behind sadako ( although there be a lot of question that could still be answer ) and and gain insight into some of the event and comment in the first two third of the film and which otherwise can seem cryptic ( it pay to rewatch the first hour after the film be over i enjoy it more the second time ) . there be a number of event during the climax that be breathtaking in their brutality and all nicely script and direct . one of these and when two character be enigmatically kill off screen and be a rare example of an attack scene where i agree that what youre not show can be more effective than what you be show . we get to see the event lead right up to the death and and we see the bloody aftermath . film how it happen would have drain much of it mystique . another outstanding development in the climax be root in the relationship between two character and and work so well because of strong cultural taboo . while it probably my least favorite ring relate film and ring 0 be worth view because of it place in the series and the excellent climax .