Categories: Movie and Series Reviews, Movie and Series Rating 2.5/5

It felt odd for the movie to not have Lisa Eilbacher as Jenny in some capacity. I think it would have worked better if Axel stayed with her while in town rather than the whole shakily done house acquisition thing that didn’t really deliver the laughs.

II Has sometimes transcends parts of the original, but it has trouble maintaining any momentum it gets. The dialogue gets sloppy, with characters repeating information the others would already know. The villain has an actual motivation but it is not leaned into so instead of Casino Royal we get mustache twirly.

Rosewood is fun to see escalate but the last ten minutes of the movie goes too hard and the action is very sloppy. It is really the ending that shaves off another half star. Sloppy action can be said for most of the movie though, it really is the whole way the finale was written. Too quick, too little, and too much somehow all at once.

Having said all that, I don’t regret watching the movie. I think there is some strong moments in the earlier half.

This felt like a Shyamalan film, and it turns out it was. The biggest twist of the film.

Characters reveal information and others ask no follow up and it makes the end feel cheap and predictable. When I watch a Shyamalan film, I hope to not know the ending up front.

The dialogue is a little off at times and there is a goofyness to how it all wraps up.

Atmosphere was neat, even if they showed too much in my opinion, and the overhead shots do a good job at evoking an enclosure.

It felt like it wanted to do a lot of things but without much planning. This left a lot of beats feeling shoehorned in purely “because.” The few things it does well are fun to watch but its a movie where the cast largely drag it to its better moments. If Jason Isaacs, January Jones, and Ed Harris weren’t here, I think it would be immediately forgettable.

Some thrills are along the way to the inevitable arrival at exactly where you expect to arrive. The first half had some better carry than the closeout.

There is a post-credits scene but if you missed it, you didn’t miss anything.

I am fine mixing camp with serious, but it just felt a little directionless here. It also meanders a bit and there is not enough interesting dialogue or events to make it feel good to be a part of. They definitely set up for moments like that, especially in the later half, but nothing really stood out. No scene is going to stick with me.

I was really on board for the first half, it just doesn’t do well with its questions and suspense.