Upon hearing that someone is making a sequel to a popular film, several assumptions immediately come to mind regarding the reasons for doing so. One is that there's more story to be told that will complement the original, and in doing so, turn out to be as good as or better than the first film. Movies such as "Aliens," "The Godfather, Part II," "The Empire Strikes Back" and a handful of other films are ones that support that theory.
On the other hand, there's the belief -- which unfortunately turns out to be true in most of the cases -- that the filmmakers are simply trying to make a quick buck and capitalize on the name and box office success of the original. Such was the case with films like "Jaws 2," "Halloween 2," or just about any other film whose numerical attachment is greater than or equal to the number two.
When a sequel is made to a film that debuted nearly a quarter of a century ago, it's usually just a stupid idea, and that's probably about as generous a description that you're apt to find for "The Rage: Carrie 2." While the original film, as directed by Brian "I Want to be Hitchcock" DePalma certainly wasn't great, it was a good adaption of Stephen King's novel.
It also had a terrific performance from Sissy Spacek, some genuinely creepy moments, and featured the infamous "gotcha" moment at the end that has inspired countless imitation scenes since then (thus necessitating our "Jump Scenes" category).
Beyond the inclusion of some footage from the original film, the scariest thing about this one is that some studio exec gave it the green light to head into production. Not as frightening as this week's release of "Baby Geniuses" (for that very same reason), nor as hip or blackened as other recent teen-based films, this one's pretty much just a shallow retreading of the original.
As such, there's the ostracized high school girl who has a whacked-out mother, gets fooled into believing she's popular, gets laughed at by everyone at a large social function, and then lets loose with a telekinetic fury that insures that everyone gets their well-deserved comeuppance at the end.
For those who might complain that I've ruined the film for them, I have two things to say. First, I'm just saved you from seeing an awful film (for which you should be eternally grateful -- especially considering the comments expressed by others leaving the theater). Second, it's not as if any surprises have been ruined, especially if one's seen the original and/or thought through the setup here and then wondered "Gee, what's gonna happen next?"
Unfortunately, that setup occurs long before the predictably fiery finale, and like the rest of the film, plods along at a nearly unbearable, slow and plodding pace. The only moments where things pick up are in that gory, but uninspired ending, and when the character played by Amy Irving (both being the only "survivors" from the original) has flashbacks where we see footage from that first film.
While including such footage (as well as a scene purposefully ripped off from "Scream") was apparently done to inject some validity into the proceedings (as if to say that it's simply not just ripping off the original's plot and well-known name), it comes off more like getting a bigger gun with which to shoot yourself in the foot -- it's stupid, painful, and it doesn't make you look very good.
The film's production notes state that director Katt Shea ("Poison Ivy") "has worked almost exclusively in the low budget independent world" -- as if that's some sort of desired accolade -- and thus it shouldn't come as any surprise that this film fits in quite well with her mostly straight- to-video resume.
While some of those types of films can be fun for their "so bad, it's good" campy qualities, this one unfortunately doesn't fit into that mold as Shea and screenwriter Rafael Moreu ("Hackers") try to make this something of a serious, character-driven look at just how cruel high school life can be.
Although that's an admirable goal, it's been done countless times before (and nearly always much better) and such plotting only results in a deadly slow pace where nothing much happens other than some occasional -- but certainly not spooky -- telekinetic activity.
The acting is straight out of a "B" movie/straight-to-video flick. Emily Bergl, who makes her big screen debut and bears a striking resemblance to a very young Sigourney Weaver, can't do much with her shallowly written character, and the fact that she's got a Grade-A firewall around her personality doesn't ever allow the audience to feel for her plight (in contrast to Spacek's performance in the original).
Likewise, Amy Irving (from the original and other films such as "The Competition"), and the rest of the cast, including Jason London as Rachel's suitor and Dylan Bruno as her antagonist simply can't escape the mediocrity and stereotypical way in which their characters have been drawn. As a result, you don't like, care for, or even really feel anything toward any of them.
Missing Spacek's "frightened animal" performance (which made the original's concluding payback that much more effective), De Palma's unique directorial style, and the overall spooky atmosphere needed to pull off a story such as this, this mostly fright-free sequel greatly pales in comparison to other horror films, let alone the original.
Released and using the name of a former classic -- just like "Halloween: H20" -- for no apparent reason other than as a weak and uninspired attempt to cash in on the now fading teen horror flick genre, this is yet another film that further proves that most sequels are a bad idea. We give "The Rage: Carrie 2" a 1 out of 10.
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