Which version did you watch?
I liked the original Ringu but have yet to watch hollywoods effort-it's in my pile of "To watch movies". I have had mixed reviews of the film some say it's great but the majority have said it was a let down. I have lent the same people the orginal version which they all seemed to think superior even given the limited budget spent on making it.
I'll probably get around to watching the new version so I'll make my own mind up.