Completely clueless about what it wants to be or where its priorities lie, Halloween Kills is an absolute trainwreck of a sequel from start to finish. A dull, pointless & thoroughly frustrating entry that fails to capitalise on the blank canvas after the 2018 film wiped the slate clean by retconning the franchise, this latest instalment is an utter mess that's all over the place and unsure of its own identity.
Co-written & directed by David Gordon Green, the story shift the focus on other survivors of Michael Myers' 1978 killing spree by sidelining our protagonist yet does it so awfully that we are never for once invested in the new characters. Green does the bare minimum to improve the ride, has no idea what tone to settle with, and branches the story out in directions that's neither warranted nor called for.
It attempts to give us a peek of the trauma that Myers inflicted on not just Laurie Strode but the entire Haddonfield community and skims on mob mentality in dumb, facepalm-inducing ways. The film is devoid of tension, build-up & atmosphere, Myers' looming presence is also gone, and the narrative flow & editing is a nightmare. The only aspects working in its favour are the grisly kills & Carpenter's score.
Overall, Halloween Kills features a healthy dose of gnarly kills & slasher brutality but the rest is not only underwhelming, it's almost cringeworthy. The callbacks are mere distractions, the subplots lead nowhere, performances are forgettable, and it really made me root for Michael Myers as he creatively slaughters a lot of stupid, annoying folks in this. A wasted potential at best, this newest chapter adds nothing to the saga.
Co-written & directed by David Gordon Green, the story shift the focus on other survivors of Michael Myers' 1978 killing spree by sidelining our protagonist yet does it so awfully that we are never for once invested in the new characters. Green does the bare minimum to improve the ride, has no idea what tone to settle with, and branches the story out in directions that's neither warranted nor called for.
It attempts to give us a peek of the trauma that Myers inflicted on not just Laurie Strode but the entire Haddonfield community and skims on mob mentality in dumb, facepalm-inducing ways. The film is devoid of tension, build-up & atmosphere, Myers' looming presence is also gone, and the narrative flow & editing is a nightmare. The only aspects working in its favour are the grisly kills & Carpenter's score.
Overall, Halloween Kills features a healthy dose of gnarly kills & slasher brutality but the rest is not only underwhelming, it's almost cringeworthy. The callbacks are mere distractions, the subplots lead nowhere, performances are forgettable, and it really made me root for Michael Myers as he creatively slaughters a lot of stupid, annoying folks in this. A wasted potential at best, this newest chapter adds nothing to the saga.