A successful adaptation that quite accurately locates the American counterparts to the Japanese cultural elements of the story, transforming a very specifically Japanese film into one of roaming horses, lighthouses, grassy fields, mountain resorts, and dilapidated ranch houses.It also offers a more deliberate explication of the meaning of the “ring,” though the original version prefers a subtler, more ambiguous treatment of the word, leaving its meaning largelyopen-ended.