RRP: £15.99
Our Price: £3.10 (subject to change)
VERY ENTERTAINING
Review date: 2007-11-04 Rating: 6 out of 10
As a child, Rachel Lang's (Emily Bergl) mother is taken from her by social services. This starts a lifelong tradition of separation by her friends until High School, where she befriends like-minded Lisa Parker, (Mena Suvari). When Lisa kills herself at school, Rachel discovers that as she gets angrier, she has control over objects. A tragedy introduces her to Jesse Ryan, (Jason London) a popular football player at the high school. They become really close after a while, much to the despair of his friends Mark (Dylan Bruno) and Eric, (Zachery Ty Bryan). When Eric discovers that Rachel knows what he did to Lisa, he and Mark decide to make her forget about telling anyone else. When Jesse comes to her rescue, she falls for him and the two become more than friends. The school psychiatrist, Sue, (Amy Irving) discovers that Rachel has telekinesis and that Mark and Jesse have a big falling out as friends. When they reform their friendship, Mark has the intention of humiliating Rachel in front of everyone. When she shows up with Jesse, he breaks with his promise and humiliates her, making her turn against Jesse and everyone at the party.
The Good News: What I really enjoyed was how the film isn't really connected to the first one other than the character of Sue. It takes pretty much the exact same storyline and adds some contemporary sub-plots that actually move the story along rather than make it confusing and hard to figure out. While none really went anywhere special, they both allow the film to set up a problem or two that will result in Rachel's humiliation. The reasons that she has to seek vengeance are very realistic reason, which could've killed the movie if she didn't have a good reason or two. Wanting to get back at people who have broadcast her first sexual activity, among other reasons, are plenty of reasons to seek it. The sex alone would be enough, but then the other activities push her over the edge. With that, the party where it all goes south as is action-packed and striking as the other film. The fire, the grand design, and the household objects used as killing instruments is very exciting to see. It had the spectacle needed to wow today's audiences, while remaining faithful to what the original showcased. It also provided more gore, which should keep those fans happy. We get one very gory double-head penetration, a full body holding CDs, a harpoon into the stomach, and several people are set on fire. This satisfies me as a gore-hound at least. It was even close to how people in high school actually behave and act. All of them are also deserving of their fates, as they all act like total snobs who get their comeuppance.
The Bad News: Nearly all of the action occurs at the end, which allows for some really trying moments in the first half as we get character development and all the set up. As the characters are being developed, we also have to deal with a lot of cliché developments. These have appeared in so many films that I won't even bother with telling them, as they are so easily spotted that you can do it yourself without any trouble. It also takes a while before we really get any kind of clarity in the story, so it can be quite confusing to really understand all that has been going on.
The Final Verdict: For some reason, this film is constantly attacked. I don't think it deserves it, and is more entertaining than many give it credit for. It isn't a classic like the original, which many hate it for. It deserves a look from fans of the first one, as it does tie up some loose ends, and fans of the genre will enjoy this as well.