Something happened to horror movies in the 90's that changed the way horror movies were made and written. Possible even changing how people graded horror movies as well. In the 1980's horror movies were a jumping off point for some actors and actresses whose names would become really big. Names such as George Clooney, Kevin Bacon, Johnny Depp, Jamie Lee Curtis (OK, technically her start was in the 70's), Tom Hanks, Julia Lois-Dreyfus, and Patricia Arquette. Then came the 90's and horror movies weren't for no names anymore. Instead known names were being put into horror movies. This, in my opinion, was the beginning of the downward slide of horror films in the 90's. No longer did story and direction matter the most to what was a successful box office film. Now a film could be hung on a name and that alone could send it to a box office bonanza. And sometimes not.
The even bigger fault with many of these films is that they pumped out the sequels left, right, and center. One after another kept coming and this series of films is a perfect example. The Last Summer series which stands at three films didn't warrant two films arguably let alone three. Earlier in the month I gave the original Last Summer film three stars I believe, and as it has been around twenty years since I had seen the second film I decided to give it a try as well. While it wasn't as bad I thought it might be it's still not as good as the first film with the word "good" being very subjective. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt from TV's Part of Five fame, Freddie Prinz Jr. from the Scooby Doo live action films, Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile, Dawn of the Dead, and Clockers) and Brandy Norwood who is probably better known for her singing than for her acting as two couples who win a trip to the Bahamas for the 4th of July Weekend. As soon as they get there things get bad very quickly with the rainy season beginning with a huge storm and the killer from the first film suddenly shows up as well.
Rounding of the cast is Jeffrey Combs (Re-animator series of horror films and From Beyond as well as countless other horror films) as the hotel manager and Jack Black as the local party boy on the island. To me all the actors other than Jack Black, who isn't in the film very much, all seem to be sleep walking through their scenes. The film isn't as good as the first film but it's not a particularly bad film either. What it is though is the worst thing a horror movie can be and that is almost immediately forgettable. I mean I just watched this a few hours ago and already I'm having difficulties remembering some of it. My other issue with it is everything is gray or some variant shade of gray or something close to it. The film has zero color pallet. Probably the first and third photos I placed in this post are the only examples of some color other than shades of gray, black, or blue that the film mostly contains once the group arrives on the island. Three stars for the first one and that might have been stretching it so perhaps giving this two and a half pot plants out of five is pushing it as well but I'm feeling generous. Watch the first one if you want and save 90 minutes of your life to use for something else.
Yeah, huge drop off from the first one.
ReplyDelete