TheRetroCritic

There was something pretty irresistible about the first Kung Fu Panda film. Seemingly a dull, same-old same-old kiddie animation, it was actually genuinely engaging, very appealing visually and quite clever in its admittedly familiar approach to storytelling. Its take on Kung Fu movie cliches wasn't exactly new but the film still felt fresh regardless and, more importantly, was a lot of fun. A sequel was therefore inevitable and for this one we have pretty much more of the same but obviously with bigger stakes and more action scenes...and a third dimension. So how does it fare? Strangely not quite as well. Not that Kung Fu Panda 2 is poor in any way but somehow a lot is lost in this one's bigger scale. The heart of the story, Po's relationship with his dad and his search for his origins, is still very effective but the loud, in-your-face action sequences downplay a story which, in itself, was solid and powerful enough without being peppered with whizz-bang nonsense.

Concept movies never really live up to their clever premises. And neither did the "classic" of the reality-horror subgenre The Blair Witch Project . A good start and a good end did not make a great film and the dire sequel failed on all accounts. Since then, countless films have attempted to do it right ( My Little Eye , The Fourth Kind ) but only the first Paranormal Activity managed to be consistent and sneaky enough to pull it off. A sequel with a different director was always going to be a gamble and Paranormal Activity 2 thankfully doesn't tank completely. More is at stake here: a baby, a girl, a couple, a maid, a dog... But somehow you never feel the danger you felt in the original film. Perhaps too many cooks spoil the broth and it feels a bit too crowded to truly isolate the audience accordingly. An attempt is made at linking the story of this instalment with the first film but that also doesn't really work as the back-and-forth through the timeline tend

  You know how some sequels really aren't sequels at all but in fact entirely different creations with a familiar title tacked on? Like Halloween III or Exorcist II ? Well, this is one of those movies. Oh sure Brett Easton Ellis' Patrick Bateman appears briefly as part of Mila Kunis' backstory but really, this "All American Girl" sequel to American Psycho is another monster altogether. Actually, this feels much more like another Cruel Intentions sequel or a really, really twisted version of Alexander Payne's Election . I guess there's a serial killer theme to the proceedings but were the killings themselves really the whole point of the American Psycho story? Whatever depth the original had to it is reduced to a very predictable and straight-forward teen movie/thriller/black comedy. So if you can ignore the film's unfortunate attachment to American Psycho, this isn't a bad film. It's not GOOD but as a dark teen movie, it's ok: styli

Following Basket Case was never going to be easy, especially considering how final the ending of the first film was! Then again Frank Henenlotter can do anything so it should be no surprise that Basket Case 2 is actually is a really enjoyable sequel to a cult classic. This time, there's a bit more budget and a bit more story as more "freaks" are introduced to Kevin Van Hentenryck's monster twin. The make-up effects on the freaks in question are very creative and one can't help but feel like these ghouls would feel right at home in a Beetlejuice -style afterlife. Like its predecessor, Basket Case 2 is a lot of fun, doesn't take itself seriously for a second and has a unique playfulness about it that very few horror/comedies actually get right. The film does build up to a hugely satisfying, insane, finale which boasts probably THE most ridiculous and disgusting sex scene you're likely to see in a movie. For that glorious scene alone, check out this s

Absolutely brilliant reimagining of the first Evil Dead as a slapstick comedy. Consistently creative and hilarious, Sam Raimi clearly has the time of his life here as Bruce Campbell gets drenched in every bodily fluid known to man whilst giving cinema some of its best and least subtle one liners ever. "Groovy!" indeed this is. And as if the first Evil Dead wasn't insane enough we now have evil hands, laughing deer heads, headless dancing corpses and god knows what else to worry about. Evil Dead 2 is probably one of the most chaotic films you'll ever experience but if you have a slightly twisted sense of humour and enjoy a good horror film, this is a treat. This sequel has a notably more significant budget than the first Evil Dead which relied mostly on DIY practical (and make-up) effects not to mention lots and lots of screaming to create the required atmosphere. Here, Raimi spends the dough wisely and makes this second instalment the best and most

There are no bad films, only bad entertainment. Whenever you're watching a film and you just can't stand it anymore you have to make it stop: that means it's not bad enough that it's fun and not good enough that it's actually watchable. Troll 2 is not a bad film...I wouldn't say it's particularly well crafted but it really does work. Like Tommy Wiseau's The Room , this is one of those films which may not have achieved its original goal but which has managed to become something altogether better entirely: a cult classic masterpiece of fail. Pointing out the film's shortcomings could take several days but needless to say it gets everything beautifully wrong. The story is nonsensical and frankly dumb, the acting goes from perplexingly odd to the equivalent of ham eating ham-covered ham, the sets and costumes are hilarious and just about everything else is impressively clunky. That Troll 2 has becomes such a cult phenomenon is no surprise, sooner or

It's no secret that sequels very rarely live up to the original. Occasionally, a sequel is actually so bad it can even single-handedly destroy all that was good about the first film, and what better example than Highlander 2? Never a big fan of Highlander myself, I never really understood what the big deal was with the first film and why people were such big fans of it when it came out. That said, in retrospect it's easy to understand its charm: the originality of the premise and the creation of this entire mythology from scratch is a welcome departure from the countless monster/vampire movies which came out at the time. Sure the whole thing was always silly, overblown and inherently flawed but people didn't care, they just wanted to see a bad French actor kick ass with a sword, pretending to be Scottish the entire time, heads being chopped off, references to Queen and lots of electricity. LOTS of electricity. I get that. A sequel can either build on an original concep

In many ways, Leprechaun 2 is a superior sequel. Then again, it is a sequel to  Leprechaun  so how good could it possibly be? Kinda like how  Evil Dead 2 is a sequel to Evil Dead , this Leprechaun is really more of a remake or a reimagining of the first film with only Warwick Davis' evil fantastical critter in common: the plot doesn't continue from the first instalment and it seems like this time there is some kind of budget involved despite the (unsurprising) absence of Jennifer Aniston. Whereas the first film took place in and around some old house, this time we actually have a story with characters you actually sort-of care about (not Shevonne Durkin, she's rubbish) and *gasp* numerous locations! Now the Leprechaun is looking for a bride to... cover in gold and impregnate (as you do) but he can only do that with a descendant of the daughter of a past slave of his and that'll only work if she sneezes three times and no-one says "God bless you".