Two years after the original we got to see this non-sequel sequel, and as you know, I’m a huge fan of the original, so to say I was disappointed
would be an understatement!
I normally don’t read reviews or interviews before I’ve seen a film as I often have things spoiled for me, including the original film.
So, thinking I had learnt from my mistakes, I had neglected to read about John Ottman’s plans to elevate the film out of the gutter that is the
horror genre, to thriller status.
Well, for starters if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! I hate people that
frown upon my beloved ‘low art’ form of entertainment!
Anyway, in attempting to emulate the success of Hitchcock and Orson
Welles, he managed to remove the film of every aspect that had made the
original so much fun!
I’m not denying that John Ottman is talented, as the film is aesthetically pleasing and offers a great insight into the world of film making, but in
his attempts to elevate the material, he has neglected it’s roots.
What I did enjoy about the film was its cast who have all gone on to high profile projects, (except Jennifer Morrison, who really should have) the
references to the original, and of course to Hitchcock.
This film has had some very negative reviews by critics, but pleased a lot of fans. Unfortunately, for me it was lacking the edge of the original.
I do not have a stand out scene here as I did with the first, as things
never really go in the all out horror direction.
In the end, the film was a very ambitious project and I can appreciate the effort and the attempts to bring new things to the genre, which it did.
However, I feel that by trying to make it different, the film lost it’s
core audience.
OVERALL SUMMARY
The original made almost $40,000,000 at the box office whilst this did
just over half as much, which fits perfectly, as I thought this was half
as good as the original.
