The Japanese saga had concluded with its previous film, but this film was made as a continuation of the original sequel Raisen, of which very few remember. Taking that into account, it is clear that Ringu has different timelines, as well as an alternate reality that has been seen in the trilogy made by Hollywood. Sadako (2019) was made to conclude the timeline constituted by Ringu and Ringu 2. Sadako DX was made to continue the other timeline constituted by Ringu and Raisen, but it does not seem to take much into account the 2 parts of Sadako 3D, which They are also part of this timeline. Sadako DX is probably a second timeline in the Raisen canon, but there was no need for it. The film discards a lot about the original Sadako mythology to present something modern and updated. What could have been something to present a new perspective on Ringu ends up being a very poorly developed concept. The movie itself is a complete disaster in so many ways. The cinematography and Sadako's scenes are the only fascinating thing this movie has going for it. The script is really bad and very poorly structured. The first films in this franchise had a mostly wordy script and a slow atmosphere that helped a lot with suspense and keeping the viewer's eyes glued to the screen. In this movie that doesn't happen mostly because the pace is too fast and frenetic to be able to follow the story. Many of the performances are overly exaggerated, to the point that the film ends up being an unintentional comedy. The filmmakers themselves decided to add humor to the film, but that humor doesn't stick at all. The film makes the same mistake as Seed Of Chucky, Halloween Resurrection or the Sleepaway Camp sequels, but a million times worse. The dialogue is quite bad and includes forced jokes. Like the story, the characters have no depth. The matter between Ayaka Ichijo's father and her sister Futaba could have been deepened and the situation of the two of them could have improved. Maeda is too loud and loud a character who becomes too incompetent. The Kenshin thing was even too predictable. Sadako is the only one worth anything, but she feels too wasted. Some digital effects are acceptable, such as Sadako's hair sequence, but little CGI is used and the lack of budget is so noticeable that the little CGI used looks poor. There are so many absurd situations that the film makes no sense and instead of feeling like a Ringu film, it feels like a poorly executed parody that doesn't take itself seriously. Even the Sadako moments that occur during the end credits are a mockery of the franchise. It's not scary and it doesn't even generate tension, rather it makes others laugh and feel sorry for themselves. Creating a new version of the Sadako mythology based on the pandemic we have experienced and even the use of social networks are things that do not fit at all in this film. It is not clear if the humor of this film is something according to Japanese culture, since Japan has a quite bizarre sense of humor, but it overshadows too much of that Japanese horror that has always characterized the franchise. In conclusion, Sadako DX is definitely the worst installment of the entire franchise and a mockery of it and Sadako. The film ruins and destroys the good image that Ringu has always had as a good work of Japanese horror cinema and for this reason it is a film that should never have been made. It would have been much better to have let the saga end forever in that final chapter that Hideo Nakata brought us in the previous installment. My final rating for this movie is a 2/10.
