Sunday, January 10, 2021

The Craft: Legacy

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In case you haven’t seen the intro from my entry dated 1/26/19 (it’s in my archives whenever you want to read it), I’m no longer going to review every single movie I see.  I’m going to review one, with the occasional bonus, and just give ratings for the rest from now on (unless I decide to pick it up again in the future).  You can always ask me why I gave the ratings for the films without reviews though (via comments or the e-mail addresses under the ‘About Me’ section).
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The Craft:  Legacy                                                      OK
The Craft was my first R-rated movie I remember seeing in the theater, so it will always be “special” to me.  The movie itself, while not great, is a fun Nineties teen horror film involving witches.  While this sequel (NOT a remake or reimagining) released over 20 years later also involves teen witches, it felt a bit different from its predecessor.  For one, it’s rated PG-13, and not everyone is heterosexual or cisgender (I can attest to the Nineties still being a very heteronormative time period; the transgender character here I would not have known was one unless mentioned and luckily she was actually performed by a trans actress).  And whereas The Craft was an “after school special” teen film that got quite serious at the end, this sequel has an “after school special” vibe that gets a bit serious at the end yet still doesn’t particularly border on horror.  There is a connection to the first film that isn’t revealed until the end (although the connection is expected after a certain tidbit is disclosed), so one not necessarily need to see the predecessor, but only those that have seen it will understand said connection (in addition to a specific phrase repeated).  Plus, like always, why would you care to see a sequel to a film you haven’t seen even if there was no direct connection?  I understand this sequel, as well as most sequels, had a lot to live up to considering the first film became somewhat of a cult hit.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say this was an unnecessary sequel, but it wasn’t as fun or as dark as the first one which I didn’t think was a masterpiece to begin with.  I will say it has been a while since I recall seeing a teen movie realistically depict teenagers being teenagers quite well though (I don’t think bullying will ever truly end, unfortunately, as long as there’re schools and people); the beginning contains a scene that kind of reminded me of the beginning of Carrie and you’ll understand my comparison if you see it.  Legacy is okay for a sequel released almost ¼ of a century later, just okay, nothing even an ounce more, much like the average “after school special.”  1/6/2021

Bonus review:

Wolfwalkers                                                                 OK/G
(haiku review)
Crisp animation.
It’s hand-drawn distinctively.
Stale-ish story though.  1/8/2021

 *[Irish film available on Apple+]*

Other movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):

Cut Throat City  >>>EH

Fear Pharm  >>>OK

She Dies Tomorrow  >>>VB
            (One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen!)

Spiral (2020)  >>>OK/G
(Shudder)

---Sean O.
1/10/2021

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