Director: David Gordon Green.
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton.
So, it’s 40 years on for the release/escape of the iconic original and this being a direct sequel to it ignoring all the other previous sequels as if they never happened. However, there’s enough respectful nods to the other sequels to keep fans happy; so much so I was pondering whether this was really a sequel or it a reboot.
It’s uses the original premise as a template with the something more-than-human, Michael Myers escaping prison and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield to simply gruesomely kill anyone who gets in his way. But where the plot fails with it’s typical, idiotic decisions story’s characters make. The estranged Laurie Strode and her family inevitably becomes the prime targets, but again, and glady so, Myers’ motives are never really explained which only adds to his inherent evil.
It’s Myers’ 10th appearance in the movie franchise, which I think tops any other horror character besides classic monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein; and James Jude Courtney does a fine job of portraying the ruthless killer striking fear into anyone who is unfortunate to encounter him. And it’s nice to see Nick Castle returns, repeating the first film with having more than one person play the man.
And go Laurie Strode! Going from scream queen to all out badass that instantly reminded me of Terminator 2’s Sarah Connor. Obsessed, delusional but right and well prepared, but I struggled to connect the two characters. Maybe in retrospect, Myers as a character hasn’t change one bit whereas Strode has obviously had a life for 40years, been married, had a daughter and everything else that goes with it, so maybe I’m being unfair. I can hardly expect a traumatised teenage woman.
There’s a better calibre of supporting cast who make great slasher fodder, meaning the budget was obviously higher with actors would actually play their part well. Patton, Greer, Gardner and Matichak provided believable performances with Bilginer‘s wannabe Dr. Loomis being the weakest and weirdest. But whilst Curtis and Myers’ are the stars of the show, the rest of them do well to keep up with the pace and add a good up-to-date dynamic.
There’s some good cinematography and some nice classic touches with a couple of cheap jump scares, but where’s the stalker vs prey vibe? Did I miss it? That daunting perspective through Myers’ eyes. Instead there’s much more gore and violence with some of it happening in the background; some of which I found more comical than horrifying. But there’s much of the original here that should please any fan, especially the The Jack O’Lantern opening credits and of course, Carpenter’s iconic score.
Is it a good horror? Not really, but is it a good Halloween movie? Yes, definitely. It’s slightly flawed by being too much like the original in terms of simplicity but that’s what makes this a good Halloween flick and is far superior than the other sequel/reboots we’ve seen this year like The Predator.
Running Time: 8
The Cast: 8
Performance: 7
Direction: 7
Story: 6
Script: 6
Creativity: 8
Soundtrack: 9
Job Description: 5
The Extra Bonus Point: 0
64% 6/10
