Sadako (2019) attempts to resurrect the eerie legacy of the Ring series, rekindling the curse of the vengeful spirit, Sadako Yamamara. With the original director at the helm, there's a glimmer of hope for a return to form. The film's connection to the earlier Ring movies and the reappearance of a familiar face fuel nostalgia, making it feel like a potential Ring 3. While moments of Sadako's spectral emergence are chilling, the movie falls short in its new story elements. A female doctor's quest to find her missing brother, intertwined with the mysterious young girl who might be Sadako reincarnated, ends up feeling uninspired and tedious.

The attempt to delve deeper into Sadako's tragic backstory fails to add depth or intrigue, ultimately muddling the narrative. The film's relentless focus on reincarnation, a plot device repeatedly explored in the series, grows tiresome. Sadako ends up being a forgettable addition, lacking the captivating dread that defined its predecessors. While it may have a few glimpses of the original magic, it falls short of rekindling the true terror of the Ring franchise. With a D- letter grade and a 41% rating, Sadako struggles to live up to its predecessors, leaving a mixed bag of nostalgia and disappointment for fans of the series.