'Ring' meets all horrific expectations

When it comes to horror movies like "The Ring," there are a handful of brief, salient questions that should be answered without ambiguity. And instead of spending the next 350 words trying to get all the questions answered, we'll just get the big ones out of the way now.\nOK, here we go: Is "The Ring" scary? Yes. Is it gory? No, not really. Is it campy? No. Is Naomi Watts good? Yes. Is she hot? Yes, very. Are there plot holes? Yeah, but it's horror, and plot holes come with the territory. Is it well made? Yes. Is it better than the original? I don't know. Will my review be very interesting if I keep doing this? No.\nOkay, deep breath, focus, let's return to normal reviewland, shall we?\nYeah, so there's this videotape and it's killing people. Right after watching what looks like a combination of the quintessential surrealist poster child, "Un Chien Andalou," and Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" video, stunned viewers of the freaky VHS receive a prompt phone call informing them that they will die in seven days. And then they do. \nIt strains credibility, I know. But that's exactly the attitude that gets a young, inquisitive reporter (Watts) in front of the TV, and subsequently, marked for death and in a one-week race to uncover the secrets behind the mysterious tape.\nA remake of a successful 1998 Japanese film called "Ringu," the film is a surprising and stylish directorial effort from Gore Verbinski, whose previous efforts include "Mouse Hunt" and "The Mexican" (a strange combo, no?). While it often fails to provided adequate explanations for its porous plot, "The Ring" survives on skillful aesthetics and pacing and a thrilling performance from Watts.\nAll in all, it's a nice specimen of the genre, with plenty of well earned squirms and shrieks from a satisfied audience. And what's more, it gives all you DVD-philes out there another excuse to avoid VHS. \nOh yeah, I need to answer the important question, the one I deftly avoided above: Is it worth your $7? Yeah, I think so, considering the alternative. Anyone who waits to watch this on frightening flick on video ought to give it a second thought.