Ring Ø (Theatrical) - 2000. 95 minutes.

DIRECTOR: Tsuruta Norio. SCREENPLAY: Takahashi Hiroshi.

Whereas Ring 2 went wrong by trying to pick up too many left-over threads and tie them into an overly convoluted plot, Ring Ø shines by getting back to the basics of human drama that made the first Ring so powerful. Nakama Yukie is brilliant in her portrayal of Sadako as a young girl frightened of her own power, and is able to draw the audience into her fear as the story moves toward its inevitable conclusion.

A few goosebumps and the final chilling scene aside, Ring Ø is more drama than horror--but what it does do is shed new light on a previously unexplored storyline in a way that puts the Star Wars: Episode I prequels of the film world to bitter, color-by-numbers shame. Watching Ring Ø is like reading the secret diary of your worst enemy and finding out they're not all that different from you, with fears and frailties of their own. The script itself isn't especially unique; it's the stylish direction, and the convincing performance of its lead that makes this film come alive.

Make no mistake, though: watching Ring Ø means you'll have to not only purge yourself of the slick, techno-horror influence of Ring and Ring 2, but also love the "slow burn" of classic Agatha Christie mysteries. Otherwise, you will not enjoy this film.

3 1/2 stars.

Cast - YAMAMURA SADAKO: Nakama Yukie. TOYAMA: Tanabe Seiichi. TACHIHARA ETSUKO: Asou Kumiko. IKUMA HEIHACHIRO: Ban Daisuke. KIYOMI: Hashimoto Masami.

Story - Thirty years prior to the first Ring, a teenage Sadako (Nakama) is the newest member of a Tokyo-based theater troupe. Reporter Miyaji Akiko has finally succeeded in tracking her down, intent on determining whether the daughter is the same cold-blooded murderess the mother is considered to have been. Instead, the Sadako she encounters is a frail young thing that requires counselling for her nerves. Nevertheless, as soon Sadako appears on the scene, a series of mysterious deaths begins claiming the members of her troupe...

Trivia - In a 7,400 person poll on the Japanese website "LoopKai" Project, Nakama Yukie was voted the number 1 most well-received celebrity to have appeared in the Ring series.