Candyman 2

How could I resist?

So after one of the in my humble opinion, best and most defining horror films of the 90s how does the sequel stack up? Not terribly good but serviceable I would say. It's definitely a continuation after the first film with mentions of Cabrini Green and Helen from the first film, following a teacher named Annie who gets swept up in a slew of murders and quite unwisely calls upon the Candyman leading to revelations, bloodshed, and drama. Now while I wasn't completely taken by this movie, I do have to say there were aspects I very much enjoyed. I like the setting of New Orleans, it doesn't have to be Chicago again because myths and stories are universal and spread like wildfire, and you get a good sense of the city. It's not just Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, you see the damaged run down side of town, and the inclusion of a semi-narrator brings some flavor and personality. Now do I feel the inclusion of Mardi Gras is just sort of there and doesn't hold much thematic or interesting standing in terms of plot? Yeah, but I mean Jesus wept there is more stuff that happens in New Orleans more than Mardi Gras. The acting is, yikes is it hit and miss. Now of course Tony Todd is just as good as before, really further cementing he is one of the underrated big daddies of horror icons. The man just hooks you in (ha ha ha) and commands the screen! And yes I do like our main lead, she does fine work but this script needed some work boy howdy. Carrie Fisher said it best, "You can write this stuff but you can't say it." like it gets a touch melodramatic for my tastes to be blunt, and yeah there is some spoiler stuff that didn't do much or add anything for me that the first film just let my imagination run with when hearing about it. Now I will say Bill Nunn as the reverend is the second best actor in the film and I really liked his character though not on screen much. Everyone else is a bit...off but in a hard to deduce off, like I can't reckon whether they're playing it for laughs or are just not very good actors. There is a lot of stuff like that in this movie where I really enjoy some stuff but the rest just keeps knocking the score lower. Now if you are more like me and just want some more Candyman action with Tony Todd being really damn good, and you can care less about the intricacies of the story you might have a good time. 2.5 stars, 6/10, it's just a slightly above average film for me and we'll see what number three has in store for us next time.