Halloween: Resurrection (Rick Rosenthal, 2002)

I wonder what happen there. They had something really good going on with 1998's excellent Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), which effectivly tied together part 1 and 2 to a real saga. Then came Resurrection and suddenly Busta Rhymes was kung fu'ing Michael Myers out through a window, Tyra Banks twerking in the control room and everything set in the never-charming location of a reality show. 

But the biggest crime here is that Busta Rhymes probably is THE worst actor ever to have signed up to do a slasher movie. I mean, the man CAN'T act! He's really trying, but ends up like a ten year old playing with his friends in the backyard, making their own homemade action movies. Oh, the horror. 

I really don't mind the setting. I work with reality TV myself, so it's a familiar place and it's fun to laugh at how they're doing it - often totally the opposite how it's done and seemingly with no planning at all (which sometimes happens in real life to, but that's another story). Here Busta is the owner of Dangertainment, a web-based entertainment channel who have rented the old Myers house to do their own, one-night, reality show with a gang of stupid, horny youths and Busta himself dressed like Michael Myers. Of course old white face shows up and kills them after another. 

Damn. This is bad. And I can't blame it on Rick Rosenthal. He's doing alright, keeping the energy going, trying to have fun with the retarded script. But the rest... nah. Except the pre-credits sequence - while far from perfect, it's still a nice and suspense-filled part with Jamie Lee effectivly killing off her old character (which I've heard was the reason why she even agreed to do the part), a good beginning. The last scene, with the body of Myers at the hospital is also good. A nice, freaky shock ending.

But more or less everything in-between sucks. Which is a damn pity, because it delivers some gore and he bodycount is quite high. The biggest mistake is that the producers and writers tries SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard to make Halloween a young, hip, cool slasher movie for a generation that would appreciate internet, webisodes, reality shows and everything else that seemed fresh at the time. It just doesn't work. 

I was more entertained by it when I was younger, but now... especially after comparing it to H20, it's a disaster in the franchise. Hey, even Rob Zombie's two movies that came later on is superior compared to this one - and they're far from perfect. 

Interestingly enough Rick Rosenthal "suffered" the same destiny here as with Halloween 2, being forced to reshoot the death scenes to make them gorier and stronger. And yes, that's a correct decision. They're not making art here, they're making slasher movies. Part 2 is still one of my favorite slashers ever made, and it wouldn't be the same without the extra gore - here... it kinda doesn't matter,because not even the deaths can help this movie elvate from crappy to bad.

I would lie if I said it was boring. It's not. It's fun in the same way as Jason Takes Manhattan or Hellraiser: Hellworld... or Critters 4 or Leprechaun in Space. Not good, but it works as easy watching for the moment.

Then it's forgotten. And should be for the rest of eternity. 

Comments

[Megatron]

"They had something really good going on with 1998's excellent Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), which effectivly tied together part 1 and 2 to a real saga."

I have vague memory of actually seeing this......but all I remember is Marion Crane aka Janet Leigh(and also Jamie Lee Curtis mother)played gainst her daughter in this one.

And that´s all I remember.

"Tyra Banks twerking in the control room"

Ahhhhhhhhh.......you have my undivided attention....hahhahahhahah

"I mean, the man CAN'T act! He's really trying, but ends up like a ten year old playing with his friends in the backyard, making their own homemade action movies. Oh, the horror."

So that´s the only scary part...?

It could be a film for me.

"The biggest mistake is that the producers and writers tries SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard to make Halloween a young, hip, cool slasher movie for a generation that would appreciate internet, webisodes, reality shows and everything else that seemed fresh at the time. It just doesn't work."

Yeah, some films become time capsules of the era and the times when it got made.

Some are good....others.....

"I would lie if I said it was boring. It's not. It's fun in the same way as"

"or Critters 4"

Yeah, I think I know what you mean......even though I found Critters 4(1992) far more entertaining then I like to admit.

"Not good, but it works as easy watching for the moment.

Then it's forgotten. And should be for the rest of eternity."

Unusal negative review by you......but I guess that´s how it is sometimes.

Good review and thanks.