Anaconda

Hey, did you know they were rebooting Anaconda?!

Wha’? You mean that big snake movie with J-Lo, Ice Cube, and Jon Voight? That snake movie with all the Sci-Fi channel sequels? That Anaconda?

It’s pretty stupid, right?!

What am I supposed to do about it, Baxter? Lament the death of Hollywood? Lament the death of original ideas? Anaconda isn’t the pinnacle of Hollywood, but at least this reboot has an original angle.

Wha’? You gotta tell me about it!

So, we’ve got Griff (Paul Rudd), a dayplayer who’s just been fired from his latest gig. He heads back to Buffalo, where his childhood friends, Doug (Jack Black), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and Kenny (Steve Zahn), are also stuck in their lives. They've always loved horror movies, and they even made one as kids. So, when Griff tells his friends he has the remake rights to Anaconda, they head off to the Amazon to make it. 

Unfortunately, they arrive underfunded and underprepared for this type of "Indie" movie. Doug, the director, casts a real snake as the anaconda, but Griff, the star, accidentally kills it. Santiago (Selton Mello), their snake handler, quickly forgives Griff for his fatal stupidity. But while looking for a new snake, Griff and Santiago encounter a monster anaconda that’s been slithering around the whole movie. Let’s see how they all survive this real-life monster movie.

Tom Gormican, who previously directed the meta-fictional Nicolas Cage movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, is an appropriate choice for this type of reboot. Having an actual monster snake stalk a film crew trying to remake a monster snake movie is a fun angle to take. Don’t even look for an explanation how the monster snake came to be. It’s probably one of nature’s mysteries, which I can totally accept.

It may be a comedy, but it could’ve taken things a bit more seriously. Early on, we see the creature feature our heroes made as kids, which may have been schlocky, but they still had fun making it. Then Griff and Doug wax cluelessly poetic about Anaconda’s - both the original and their movie. They’re joined by Ana (Daniela Melchior), a mysterious woman being pursued by Joao (Rui Ricardo Diaz), an illegal gold miner. But they’re thrown off the movie once we learn their true allegiances. It’s as if the film isn’t interested in its own twist villain, or any other villain besides the monster snake.

So, why would I recommend this movie? It’s because it gets good when it commits to its action-horror tone. The jump scares work, while the monster snake effects are pretty effective. One of its big twists, that Griff never had the film rights to begin with, is taken appropriately seriously. For all the big jokes the trailer spoiled, there are just as many surprisingly funny ones it didn’t. Its big action climax, on the set of an actual Anaconda reboot, is quite thrilling. 

Our intrepid cast does the best they can with this screenplay. Black and Rudd are fun together as Doug and Griff, each of whom lets you feel, even somewhat, for their dead-end lives. Newton, who usually doesn't do these types of films, is a welcome addition, even if Claire doesn't do much. Zahn's pretty lively as Kenny, even if his character is basically The Load. It's so much fun to watch Mello have fun as Santiago, particularly when he quickly reconciles with Griff. It helps that there's a nice surprise for Santiago during the credits. It would have been nice if Melchior and Diaz's subplot hadn’t felt like an afterthought; they really left a strong impression. And finally, expect a few surprise cameos.

The first Anaconda, and its sequels, are now regarded as cable schedule fillers. You can probably expect this Anaconda to join them in a generation or two. That's not saying that this film is awful; don't expect anything profound and you'll get a lively distraction from the doldrums. If you want something more substantial, well, I think I've found a few films that are supposed to be that. Those reviews come next.

Train Dreams

 Earlier this year, I reviewed Sing Sing, which Greg Kweldar directed and co-wrote with Clint Bentley. This time, I review Train Dreams, which Bentley directed and co-wrote with Kweldar. What a year this has been.

A narrator (Will Patton) tells us all about one Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton). He never knew his parents, and if he had a great destiny, he never knew it either. All he knew was the wilderness, where he helped build the railroads with some eclectic characters. It takes us a while before we realize that this is the 20th century. 

In the meantime, he meets and weds Grace Olding (Felicity Jones). They start a life with their daughter, Katie, in a log cabin. Robert frequently leaves them for months to take up logging work. A few things later upend his uneventful life. One is a massive wildfire, and the other is him finally seeing the modern world. 

Bentley and Kweldar adapted Denis Johnson's novella into a svelte, 102-minute film. That's plenty of time to get to know Robert, whom Edgerton plays pretty well from young man to eighty-year-old. He gets plenty of nice moments with Gladys, especially when she takes the initiative to introduce herself. You'll easily sympathize with him after his family disappears, and he later finds a girl who might be Katie. He mostly watches stuff happen around him, like a fellow laborer (Alfred Hsing) getting murdered. To his credit, the event and the man's "ghost" haunt him. 

We've got a dynamic supporting cast here, perhaps none more so than William H. Macy. As Arn Peeples, the demolitions expert, he's delightfully grumpy, but is still an invaluable mentor. When he's struck down by a falling branch, Patton constantly narrates his decline, but you'll still empathize with the old man. Nathan Schneider gets a good scene in as the rambling Apostle Frank, as does Brandon Lindsay, whose Elijah Brown has a score to settle with Frank. We also have the grocer Ignatius Jack (Nathaniel Arcand), and the forest ranger Claire Thompson (Kerry Condon), both of whom provide great moral support.

It's little surprise that Adolpho Veloso got himself Oscar shortlisted for his cinematography. Taking cues from Terence Malick, Veloso films the Pacific Northwest and Robert's nightmares in natural light. Veloso filmed the movie in an unusual 3:2 aspect ratio, which comes through in its extreme wide shots (like in Elijah's scene). Moments like Robert coming across the fire thankfully speak for themselves. These haunting visuals are matched by composer Bryce Dessner, whose score and end credits song (a collaboration with Nick Cave), were also shortlisted. I wouldn't mind any of them getting onto the final ballot.

Yes, Train Dreams is on Netflix, but it's still playing in some theatres. Hop on to the biggest screen you can find and check it out. About my only problem with it is the constant narration, but that's alleviated by Patton's folksy voice (he also narrated the audiobook). Overall, it's surprisingly easy to watch this thematically dense film. See it soon to see what I mean; on to my next movie destination.

Wake Up Dead Man

Wake up, critic!

You’ve been sitting on this movie for weeks! I understand you weren’t going to watch it in theatres last month, but that grace period ended once it got on Netflix. Where’s the review for Wake Up Dead Man …

Vance! I already have it.

Good, let’s go …

Wake Up Dead Man (A Knives Out Mystery)

This time, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is already on his latest case. His latest dead man is Msgr. Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), a firebrand preacher with a small, yet devoted flock. They all think that the new assistant pastor, Rev. Jud Dupenticy (Josh O'Connor), stabbed Wicks in the middle of his Good Friday speech. But Blanc would like to check out the other suspects first.

Amongst the flock, we have washed up author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott); alcoholic Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner); career lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington); Vera's adopted son and influencer Cy (Daryl McCormack); disabled cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny); and Wicks's secretary Martha (Glen Close) and her groundskeeper husband, Samson (Thomas Haden Church). They all have plausible motives, but only one actually acted on theirs. Blanc and Jud get on the case, though Blanc might not like the answer ...

One may notice that Blanc isn't in much of the first act. He's in the first few seconds, about to read Jud's account of the case, then finally shows up around forty-minutes in. It takes another twenty minutes before we get back to the start. That's right, he's not being summoned for the case; he was already there. On my first watch, I was perplexed by what I thought was such a late start to the plot. Jud tells us about the suspects, rather than let us learn with Blanc during his investigation, which felt a bit front-loaded. As I write this now, I realize that we're supposed to follow Jud, not Blanc, as the central character. Its plotting makes much more sense once you do that.

It also helps that Rian Johnson presents us with some captivating ideas. Yes, there's the effective locked-room mystery, but I'm especially impressed with the flock's hidden depths. While they first appear tightly knit, we come to understand them as an unhappy lot trapped in their lives. They come to realize that Wicks doesn't deserve their time, faith and money, yet they don't know anything else. This humanizes the flock, even the otherwise unrepentantly unpleasant Cy. Their Bad Shepherd, Wicks, also has a few humanizing qualities, even if he tells us way more than we want to. Give him time, and his worse qualities become too numerous to ignore.

Yes, Blanc is still a great detective, but it's impressive how he's challenged in the sequels. In Knives Out, he's very straightforward, despite his delightful eccentricities. In the last movie, he's flummoxed by the idea how the simplest solution could be the solution. Here, in his summation, he's all ready to solve the case, but he realizes it's best to let the mastermind confess. A confession is good for the soul, after all. I already wonder where a next movie can take him after that powerful and well-acted epiphany. 

Who else do we have here? Obviously, we've got Jud, who clocks a justifiably unpopular deacon in his first scene. Jud, a former boxer, spends the film learning to open his fists, so to speak. He and Blanc have great chemistry together once he becomes the latter's Watson. Blanc's epiphany is matched by Jud praying with Louise (Bridget Everett), a motormouth receptionist dealing with her mother's inevitable death. That scene, alone, makes Bridget the film's best supporting character outside of the flock. Mila Kunis and Jeffrey Wright are fine as Chief Scott and Bishop Langstrom, respectively. Chief Scott is ready to arrest Jud, while Langstrom is willing to give him a shot. Finally, we have Annie Hamilton, who plays Wicks's long dead mother, Grace, whose "fallen" ways loom over her son's church.

For this outing, Johnson and his usual crew lean heavily into a gothic horror aesthetic. The church, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, is a lot humbler, yet no less striking, than the last film's Glass Onion. It's not completely humble, given its unique bully pulpit, but it's close enough. When Grace vandalizes the Church, for reasons we'll fully understand later, Johnson and cinematographer Steve Yedlin steers the movie into Bram Stoker's Dracula territory - a reference Johnson admits. A few more striking scenes include the reveal of a second victim and Wicks's seeming resurrection (hence the title). A few Andrew Lloyd Webber needle drops give us some funny jump scares, while Nathan Johnson's overall score is suited for the spookiness. 

As with its predecessors, Wake Up Dead Man appeals to those who love good mysteries with a side of humor. Its brand of gothic thrills and chills might just make it a new Halloween classic. Prepare to lose a slow afternoon to its many twists and turns. You won't forget the summation, that's for sure. It's ready when you are, so how about it? Do you want to wake up the dead man?

If not, I'm sure I can recommend something else ...

Avatar: Fire and Ash

 A lot of people think that the Avatar movies, despite being two of the biggest moneymakers of all time, have no cultural impact. Where's the tie-in merchandise between movies? Where's the spin-off shows? Where's the comic books, or something? I'd like to think that this franchise doesn't believe in oversaturation.

And now, let's see what kind of impact its latest sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will leave besides a mammoth box-office and a new standard for visual effects.

James Cameron brings us back to Pandora a little while after The Way of Water. Here, we find Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) coping with the death of their eldest son Neteyam during the last film's big battle. Their surviving son, Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), blames himself for Neteyam's death, while Neytiri blames the humans - even though Jake used to be one. Jake decides to take the family on a trip with the airborne Tlalim clan, where they'll drop off his adopted human son, Spider (Jack Champion), with his kind. 

On the way, they're ambushed by the Mangkwan, a clan of brigands also called the Ash People. Their chieftain, Varang (Oona Chaplin), bonds with Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) when he introduces her to guns. Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), the other adopted Sully, saves Spider with mycelium when his oxygen mask fails. Unfortunately, this might be what the human villains need to finish conquering Pandora. Quaritch, Spider's biological father, also wants to settle the score with Jake. They'll get their chance when Jake and the Na'vi come to the defense of the whale-like Tulkun.

Wait, wasn't the last movie's climax also a battle with space whalers? Why, yes it was! You'd think that Dr. Gavin (Jermaine Clement) and his crew would've learned already, but whatever. They won't be back. 

At times, it often struggles with its multiple storylines during its 195-minutes. Payakan, the main Tulkun, is immediately introduced getting exiled for his violent anti-whaler resistance. Sure, most of its viewers will know who he is, but a quick scene could've helped. The Tulkuns stubbornly sit on their fins until the whalers draw near. The blunt dialogue drives its themes like sledgehammers, which feels much more noticeable this time. You can see a few plot points from a mile away, much like the Academy Award its visual effects team can expect in a few months. A few characters die during its mammoth final battle, but only one leaves much of an impact. Still, a few plot aspects worked:

As I hoped for last time, Kiri’s origins are expanded upon here. She’s basically the Na’vi messiah, which I can accept given what we already know about Pandora. She doesn’t take her unconventional birth well, but Jake already accepts her, much like last time. She and Spider have nice chemistry together, despite the extreme age differences of their actors. Amidst the final battle, Kiri tries bonding with the Spirit Tree to see the Na'vi God, Eywa, which almost kills her. She only survives when her step-siblings bond with the tree in a nice display of togetherness. I think the film would've benefited if the story centered around her.

We also have the villains to consider. Quaritch still tries to bond with Spider, which goes nowhere again, but he gets points for trying. Quaritch has better luck with Varang, who’s unapologetically sadistic, but still has a sympathetic backstory. You’ll feel that much when she shares it with Quaritch. These two form a fascinatingly twisted couple, far more intriguing than the heroic Jake and Neytiri. Gen. Ardmore (Edie Falco) questions Quaritch's loyalties, which is a bit baffling since he's still getting them results. Varang is the only Mangkwan with a name and personality, and even she abruptly disappears during the final battle. It's no doubt to save her for part four, which I hope will take her somewhere good.

It's technically everything you've seen last time and more. Last time, I complained about some of the effects sputtering due to them being rendered in higher framerates. That doesn't seem to be an issue this time. Everything from the Na'vi and Pandoran wildlife to the humans' mechs looks better than ever. The Mangkwan, despite mostly being cannon fodder, are visually striking villains, while the flying jellyfish Medusae and Tulkun council are sights to behold. The magnetic field that pops up during the final battle is an interesting video gamesque caveat. Many of the same technical personalities from last time continue their excellence here - such as composer Simon Franglen and the late co-editor John Refoua. 

It’s as visually impressive as it is overlong. But Avatar: Fire and Ash makes itself worth seeing with the subplots I mentioned above. It’s about a good diversion as any from a slow and boring afternoon. So, I’ll leave it to you if you want to see it or not. Now, let’s see about those other sequels. I’m waiting, Mr. Cameron.

Dust Bunny

Supposedly, Tobe Hooper tried to get his horror classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a PG-rating by keeping most of the violence offscreen. But it got Rated R anyway because it was still disturbing.

A decade later, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins pushed the boundaries of a PG-rating so far that we now have the PG-13 rating.

Decades later, meaning now, Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller makes his feature debut with Dust Bunny, a "family horror film" that happens to be rated R. I'm not making any of this up. Let me tell you about it.

Fuller brings along his Hannibal, Mads Mikkelsen, as protagonist Aurora's (Sophie Sloan) "Intriguing Neighbor." Mostly referred to by his apartment number, 5B, he's an assassin employed by the shady Laverne (Sigourney Weaver). Aurora, meanwhile, is his intrigued neighbor in 5A, who catches him slaying a dragon (gangsters disguised as dragon dancers). Back home, Aurora thinks that there's a monster under her bed that eats anyone who walks around at night. Her parents don't believe her up until it eats them offscreen.

It turns out this was Aurora's third set of parents; all of them became monster food. So, she hires 5B to kill the monster. He thinks that her parents were killed by his enemies, so he accepts the gig. He realizes the monstrous truth just as several hired guns - the most significant being Laverne and a guy played by David Dastmalchian - come after Aurora. These hired guns are in for a giant, fluffy, and dusty surprise.

So, why is this family film rated R? If I had to guess, having 5B dispatch a goon with an electric toothbrush to the eye sealed the deal. Or maybe 5B preparing to cut up a bad guy's body (but not the actual act). We do see him shoot a few goons. It also has the Dust Bunny gobble its victims whole and bloodless, sometimes offscreen. We still hear the brutal details. Yeah, Gremlins tested its rating, but its most brutal violence was done to the little monsters. That's how Predator: Badlands got its PG-13 rating. I just want to let you know what to expect.

Everyone lives in what is evidently New York. I say evidently, because not only was it filmed in Budapest, but it's aesthetically unreal. You would think it's all on soundstages, but there was actual location filming there! As visualized by Jeremy Reed, this city is illuminated and decorated in only the brightest pastels, much like in Dick Tracy. The city glows orange at night, particularly when the "Conspicuously Inconspicuous Man" and his gang approach Aurora's apartment. The dragon fight is illuminated on a nearby building as a gigantic shadow play. One of the assassins blends into the wallpaper with his suit. And finally, Laverne is armed with high-heel shoes that double as pistols! All of this makes for a wonderfully surreal destination.

It stumbles a bit on the writing side. I could've done with one less round of Aurora and 5B arguing on his mispronouncing her name. It got a bit old really fast, much like that similar running gag on Family Guy. More annoying, however, is Aurora repeatedly warning 5B, whom she hired to kill her monster, to get off the floor or else he'll attract the monster. How's he supposed to kill it if he can't see it?! What eventually passes for the monster's origin, as well as its thematic implications, is quite confounding. Still, 5B and Aurora have pretty decent chemistry, so there's that.

Who else do we have? As Laverne, Weaver revels in her wickedness, even when she's supposed to be dead-serious. A good example is when she finally meets the Dust Bunny. Mr. Inconspicuous and his gang try to be threatening, until they meet the same monster bunny; after that, they're pretty funny. As Brenda, an FBI agent investigating Aurora's backstory, Sheila Atim is having a blast. It's quite funny when she and 5B see through each other's fake identities simultaneously. That's pretty much it for the cast.

What else do we have? Its opening oner, in which the dust bunny forms, fits right in with a Tim Burton film. It's a great appetizer for not only its wonderful surreality, but Lisa Summer's perfectly moody score. It's quite impressive to watch the Dust Bunny break through the floorboards, then reset the floor as it retreats. The impressive sound work sells us on its threat before we see it in full. It's surprisingly cuddly, like the world's biggest bunny puppy. You'll just have to see it for yourself.

If you've got no problems with your kids seeing R-Rated movies, then check out Dust Bunny. It's got a few writing issues, but they're compensated by its visual design. I can't fault it for its visual imperfections due to its deliberate unreality. I can just sit back and watch the craziness unfold. I think I said enough.

Jay Kelly

 His name is Jay Kelly.

That's what he says, anyway. But for all we know, he's really George Clooney with a new name, and speaking other people's words - in this case, Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer. True, that's how it usually is in his other films, but maybe not this time.

In the final minutes of his namesake film, Jay views a highlight reel of his filmography at an awards ceremony held in his honor. And by his filmography, I mean Clooney’s actual filmography. You’re bound to recognize more than a few films here - don’t expect Batman and Robin, though. Anyway, who is Jay Kelly and why should we care about him?

Jay, much like Clooney, is one of Hollywood’s biggest superstars. According to his manager and best friend, Ron Sukenick (Adam Sandler), he’s “the last of the old movie stars.” And right now, this old star’s starting to feel his age.

His younger daughter, Daisy (Grace Edwards), departs for Europe on a pre-college trip. Coincidentally, Jay was set to receive a lifetime achievement award in Tuscany, but he had Ron turn it down. He reconnects with his old roommate, Tim (Billy Crudup), at the funeral of Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent), the director who gave Jay his big break. When things go sour between him and Tim, Jay and his entourage head off to Europe to follow Daisy and get that award. Along the way, he also reevaluates his life thus far. I think that’s pretty much it.

It's an easygoing movie with a harsh runtime of 132-minutes. As you can probably tell, it's more interested in testing Jay internally, rather than externally. It makes for a lot of navel-gazing, which I understand isn’t most people’s preference. Its most substantial external conflict is Tim threatening to sue Jay for assault (yes, it went that sour). But that's all brought up and resolved off-screen. We truly start feeling the overlength by the time Ron and Jay reach Tuscany. It's probably not even that late; Jay drags out telling Ron about his scuffle with Tim for far too long (Ron finds out on his own). 

What annoyed me the most was a plot thread where Jay stopped a purse-snatcher aboard his train. True, it's nice that he did it, but it's the identity of the purse-snatcher - a cyclist (Lars Eidinger) who randomly went crazy - that annoyed me the most. He was introduced just as Jay boarded his train, and he seemed nice; if it was some random stranger, I wouldn't have this issue.

Yes, it’s pretty long to sit through - it’s on Netflix - but it’s still worth it. Jay’s pretty relatable as he wonders about the personal roads not taken, especially with his last conversation with Schneider. Ron reevaluates his own relationship with Jay, particularly after he's abruptly fired by his other client, Ben (Patrick Wilson). It's quite profound as both of them wonder if they've been driving on the right roads. This is encapsulated perfectly by the film's last words, "Can I go again? I'd like another one." Overall, Jay is a decent deconstruction of the typically smooth Clooney-type, while Ron is Sandler's most likeable and mature character ever.

Who else do we have here? Jay's entourage includes his publicist Liz (Laura Dern), his hairstylist Candy (Mortimer), and his bodyguard, Silvano (Giovanni Zeqireya), most of whom quit during the journey. Liz is the most memorable, particularly since she and Ron have shared history together. Alba Rohrwacher is pretty likable as Jay's Italian tour guide, also named Alba, while Stacy Keach is pretty entertaining as Jay's dad. Charlie Rowe, as the younger Jay, isn't a dead ringer for Clooney, but he's got his confidence. Crudup's performance as Tim runs the gamut from chill to threatening to pathetic in his one major scene. Amongst Ron's family, the best is the uncredited actor playing his son, who's entertainingly annoying. 

Finally, let's talk about its presentation. Jay literally walks into his own flashbacks, which is both technically impressive and persistently surreal. In one scene, he's calling Jessica in a forest, and suddenly, she's there beside him! In an earlier one, he opens up a train car and steps into an old movie set. It's opening oner across a soundstage is pretty mundane, but still cool, compared to these scenes. The Italian scenery is splendid, as you might expect. On the soundscape, Nicholas Britell's score perfectly accentuates the film with abundant sentimentality. Yeah, I think I said enough.

No, really, I think I said enough. If you've got the patience, check this movie out. It might make for great company on a slow day. It might give you a few things to think about. It certainly did for me.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

 Who's ready for Freddy again?

A few years ago, the haunted animatronics of Five Nights at Freddy’s conquered the box office just like they did the video game world. They’re back in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, once again directed by Emma Tammi and written by series creator Scott Cawthon (who, this time, is working solo).

It’s been a few years for us, but it’s been a year since Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), his sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), had their Five Nights at Freddy’s. Since then, Abby has taken up robotics so she can fix her haunted animatronic “friends,” whom Mike repeatedly promised to fix. Vanessa, meanwhile, is haunted by her murderous father William Afton’s (Matthew Lillard) legacy. That legacy is now folklore celebrated in the first ever "FazFest."

It turns out that the first film's Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is a franchise location. This film immediately opens on the premiere location, where Afton, the proprietor, kills his first victim, Charlotte Emily (Audrey Lynn Marie). A few TV Ghost Hunters accidentally awaken Charlotte's spirit, which now haunts the locale's exclusive animatronic, the Marionette. She can wirelessly control her fellow animatronics - including shinier "Toy" versions of the main four - but none of them can leave the building. At least, until they trick Abby into helping them. So, it's up to the adults to quell Charlotte's murderous wrath.

Anyone who felt that the original film's scares were sedate can rejoice. This is a noticeably spookier film, with more suspense and jump scares centered around its supernaturally mechanical terrors. A particular highlight is the Ghost Hunters' fatal trek inside the original Freddy's. You’ll be on edge as you await the Ghost Hunters’ impending doom, and your dread will be handsomely rewarded. The Marionette is wonderfully nightmarish, as are her “human puppets." I've noticed that some critics were underwhelmed by the ghostly effects for the human puppets, but I thought they were great. It helps that I was in the front row.

Jim Henson's Creature Shop once again works their animatronic magic here. The Toy mascots are just as appealing as the original four, who show up to save the day. It's especially striking when Toy Freddy walks around FazFest all nice and shiny, even if the "nice" part is debatable. The animatronic suits used for the Toys, as well as their "withered" alternates, are animatronic marvels. Their version of Foxy, a misshapen creature called Mangle, is their greatest achievement. They look great, and thanks to a great voice cast - Megan Fox as Toy Chica, Matthew Patrick as Toy Bonnie, and Kellen Goff as Toy Freddy - they sound great. 

It slightly falls apart once you think about the plot. It turns out that Vanessa has a brother, Michael (Freddy Carter), who's just as psycho as their old man. Vanessa keeps her evil brother and her friendship with Charlotte a secret around the other Mike. Let's just say the other Mike isn't happy once he inevitably finds out. We spend so much in Vanessa's headspace that we can understand why she's so reluctant to talk. It makes Mike seem unsympathetic to her, especially with what he went through in the first film. Did I miss something? The abrupt ending gives her a raw deal. Meanwhile, the original four are regulated to a Deus-Ex Machina, which makes their sacrifice - long story - fall flat.

What else do we have? A typical game level is distilled into a scene where Mike monitors the Toys' homing beacons. There's even a handy animatronic mask, a valuable tool in the games, that proves surprisingly effective. It's kind of amusing. That Abby's "ghost stories" make her weirdly popular with her class is kind of nice. Her science teacher, Mr. Berg (Wayne Knight) is so unlikable that you won't miss him when he goes, even if his death is that gruesome. Skeet Ulrich puts in a memorable cameo as Charlotte's father, Henry, even if you have to play the games or watch the end credits to fully grasp who he is. Finally, The Newton Brothers return with another wonderfully spooky score, highlighted by their excellent remix of the original film's theme.

If you’re here for killer animatronics, then Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 will not disappoint you. You’ll be shocked and awed as you see what these cuddly monsters accomplish this time. I could've comprehended the ending a little better if a few things were better clarified or expanded upon. Besides Ulrich's cameo, a few more things make the most sense if you've done your lore homework. But I think you can understand about eighty percent of the plot if you haven't. Well, I'll let you decide if you want to watch it. No harm if you do, except maybe on your nerves...