Sadako is not a masterpiece but is an enjoyable film. The script is thrilling with some changes about the classic scenes of the first films. The film locations and cinematography are great and creepy. There is some good moments but the film is weak. An entertaining movie for the Ringu franchise.

Ugh, another cash-in on the a franchise that was great back in the days of 1998 and a few years onward. Yet, I opted to sit down and watch the 2019 "Sadako" movie from writer Noriaki Sugihara and director Hideo Nakata on the odd chance that this might actually be a worthwhile addition to "The Ring" legacy and franchise.

But no. Well, while "Sadako" was a watchable movie, it was by no means an outstanding horror movie. Nor was it a particularly scary one, not even by accounts of Japanese horror standards. "Sadako" felt like a watered down rendering of the origin story of Sadako, the girl that terrorized people in "The Ring".

The storyline told in this 2019 movie was a bit too boring and bland. There was nothing scary to be had here throughout the course of the entire movie. Well, unless you are Asian I suppose. But for a seasoned horror veteran such as myself, then "Sadako" was not a scary movie and offered only slight entertainment. It felt like writer Noriaki Sugihara wasn't really sure in which direction to take the story, so it felt like it was a bit all over the place and sort of lacking a red coherent thread.

I managed to sit through the entire movie, but this was not a movie that tickled me in all the right places. Sure, it was watchable for the less than mediocre thing it turned out to be. But this is hardly a Japanese horror movie that managed to make itself stand out in the genre. And it is not a movie that warrants more than a single viewing.

The acting in the movie was adequate, despite the fact that the actors and actresses were hard pressed with having not much of a solid and complete script and storyline to work with.

I am rating the 2019 "Sadako" movie a less than mediocre four out of ten stars. Sometimes it is better to let sleeping corpses lie...

I've read an article about Hideo Nakata's "noble attempt to resussrect dying genre of J-horror". I've also read an announcement that this movie is said to be based on Koji Suzuki's "Tide", what gave me hope of "returning to the roots" and ceasing the growing discord between the author and the director...

You know what I mean. A situation similar to discord between Kubrick's "Shining" and King's "Shining". "Sadako 3D 1-2" were something like miniseries "Shining", faithful to King's novel, but not so scary. The difference is that the 3D atrocities were neither scary, not even too faithful... I really hoped the both entitled divas (Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Nakata) would reconcile and start making good movies together again.

But I was cheated. None of those promises were true.

For the first, this movie has literally nothing in common with Suzuki's novel "Tide", neither with any of his books.

For the second, this... thing was everything which original "Ringu" wasn't.

SPOILER

1. Lack of the music. Ringu Saga (1, 2 & 0) were richly adorned by Kenji Kawai's disturbing soundtrack, what was a huge help with building fearsome atmosphere. And in this movie we have basically no music, what makes "scary" scenes looking like stupid mockumentary. Oh wait, there is some sound - literally ONE SINGLE PIANO ACCORD, recurring sometimes - neither scary, nor touching, rather annoying.

2. Painful graphic. Although Mr. Nakata avoided casting 3D and CGI effect here and there, he still couldn't help but show off 4K resolution. I mean the resolution allowing you see the very single blade of grass. My question is: why? It's not botanical movie about tending grass, it ought to be horror!!! I don't need (or eve want) to see the enamel on child actress' sharp little teeth (it's not a video training for students of dentistry),nor each single strands of her hair (it's not a video training for hair stylists either). I want horror! I want actor's play and interesting plot! Not showing off some graphic tune up! This hyper-detailed graphic was intended to "add some reality", but the effect is as artificial as CGI and 3D in previous two movies. In reality, human eye tends to ignore single hair strands, grass blades, sand's grains etc. So why are we forced to see it? Too detailed graphic, "better than human eye", is exactly too much for human eye (forcing it to more hard work, what's tiring and unhealthy for the eye).

3. Lack of the plot. "Sadako 3D" was not about Sadako, but about a girl named Akane. "Sadako 3D 2" was about her sister-in-law Fuko, and Akane's gloomy, bratty daughter, and still not about Sadako. Again, this one isn't about Sadako either. It's about another generic girl (Mayu) and another gloomy, bratty girl (her name is undisclosed during the whole movie). Again, the title lied.

4. Acting. As much the characters are accidental and bringing literally nothing to "Ringu" franchise, as the actors portraying them are also generic. All Ringu-maniacs remember feminine Nanako Matsushima (Asakawa),snarky Hiroyuki Sanada (Takayama),gloomy Miki Nakatani (Takano),little gentleman Rikiya Otaka (Yoichi),and two cute teenagers Yuko Takeuchi and Hitomi Sato (Tomoko and Masami). From the "old guard" we have only Hitomi Sato, and her character (Masami) was shamefully degraded. And she's literally only chain link between "Ringu 2" and this horrible movie.

5. Masami Kurahashi herself. Yes, she was just secondary character, who appeared in "Ringu 1" as cheerful, mischievous, giggling schoolgirl, and in "Ringu 2" as deeply traumatized patient with some psychic skills. In both roles I fount her rather cute. And now... she was turned into some old, fat, perverted auntie, craving for young Mayu.

For people who aren't familiar with Japanese mentality... 20 years ago there existed a term "stalled Christmas cookie", referring to 25-year-old woman who was still unmarried. But it was two decades ago! Now it's not rare for Japanese women to marry at their 30's (instead of 20's). Many Japanese women nowadays want to get education and professional career, so marriage and maternity must be postponed. Instead of "stalled Christmas cookies" (25-year-old "spinsters"!) now we have "bimajo" (beautiful witches) - women in their 30's, who are still looking young and alluring. In 1998-1999 Masami was a teenage kid around 17. 20 years later, respectively, she should be "bimajo" around 37. Yet, due to baggy clothes and terrible makeup, she's characterized as middle-aged lady around her 50 (!). Mr. Nakata, where were you during the last rwo decades, while the Japanese society managed to change their conception of women in their 30's?

End of digression. Cheerful, childish and innocent Masami turned into a creepy, perverted stalker, harassing a young woman with unwanted advances. Gross! And, of course, she ends as a cannon fodder for Sadako, after 20 years of being spared. It's quite illogical - she neither watched a cursed tape ("Ringu" rules),nor she was contaminated by Ring Virus in any way ("Rasen" rules). Apparently, Sadako (2019) killed her to punish her for revealing her secret. What's also illogical, because original Sadako's intended to make people know her story, to make her curse spread (according to "Rasen" rules),so she should be spared as Sadako's helper! But Mr. Nakata wanted a cheap jump-scare scene, so Masami must die! Especially since she's old, ugly, perverted (37-years-old) granny. Jodie Foster refused to play Clarice Starling in "Hannibal', since the heroine betrayed her own morals and started eating human meat and sleeping with her enemy Hannibal. Jodie Foster didn't want to take part in betraying her "old" Clarice". I deeply regret that Ms. Hitomi Sato has no such moral resistance against betraying her "old", innocent Masami.

6. Sadako herself. In "Ringu 1-2" she was terrific, vengeful spirit, to the extent you got pushed into your chair out of fear, thanks to Rie Inou's masterful play. In "Ringu 0" she was sweet, innocent girl, whom you couldn't help but love and pity, thanks to beautiful and skilled Yukie Nakama. Even in "Rasen" she was portrayed as a sentient being, driven by some purpose. And now, she's just a mindless, soulless murdering monster. She's upstaged by unnamed bratty girl (ripoff from "Sadako 3D 2"). She now crawls instead of walking (ripoff from Kayako, who was originally Sadako's clone!),although she's technically able to stand up (some jump-scare scenes when she's overshadowed by long-haired kid). She also loves to eat children (ripoff from Slavian folktale about Baba Yaga). Aside crawling, she also drags people into a certain Dark Water (auto-plagiarism, sadly, not the first in Nakata's career!),instead of simply causing one's heart stop without touching them, what she was able to do in original "Ringu" saga.

7. Shizuko Yamamura - she was degraded to a pretty but empty porcelain doll. Shizuko, portrayed by Masako, was able to show strong emotions (shock, rage, despair). Shizuko in 2019, when she's about to abandon her illegitimate newborn daughter, doesn't cry or wail, she just gently whispers, as if she excused for some petty tactlessness.

8. Backstory of Sadako and Shizuko, and the events from the original saga, became painfully flattened and shortened.

9. Cursed video itself. I know that some actors passed away during the two decades, what may cause some copyright problems, but Mr. Nakata could simply pay their heirs for using scenes with them (Masako as Shizuko). The scene with Shizuko and the mirror was one of the most important in the cursed video. Also: as the whole movie, the cursed video is overly bright and colourful. Original cursed tape was blurred and black-and-white, what strengthened that the thing is very old. Archaic, obscure technology was the strength, not the weakness! Sadako lived and died at the time when most J-horrors (tales of O'Iwa, O'Kiku, Yuki-onna and other Kaidan stories) were black-and-white. Video from 2019 suggests something that was created lately - rich and warm colours, 4K resolution, 3D depth. Nothing "old" and "forgotten". Nothing "scary" and "climatic".

Sorry for this long rant, but this movie is plainly an abomination, offending me as long-time Ringu-lover. I feel as both Suzuki and Nakata murdered their own child in my very eyes, by the last three pseudo-Sadako abominations. Both men behave like heavily offended divas, convinced that each of them have better vision than the other. My version is better! No, mine is better! That's the old Ringu-maniacs are tortured by author's version (3D) and then director's version (2019).

The sad thing is that both of them had potential, and their teamwork bore fruits like "Ringu 1-2" and "Dark Water". After their separation, they both started committing atrocities like "3D" and "2019". When the author and the director don't get along, the grudge is born... and not in a good horror way.

"Noble attempt to revive dying genre"? Wrong! If Suzuki's "Sadako 3D 1-2" were Sadako's coffin, then Nakata's "Sadako 2019" was a nail, affixing the lid to this coffin. It was backstabbing J-horror genre and the whole Sadako/Ringu franchise.