IMDb.com
By Keith Walther
The rain slicker clad murderer brandishing a hook is back and worse than ever. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is a poor attempt to revitalize this horror franchise with it’s first sequel since 1998. When it comes to the ever-popular slasher flick, this is a representation of how painfully bad this subgenre can be.
Similar to the original 1997 film of the same name, it begins with a group of friends, who inadvertently cause a fatal accident along the curvy, mountainous road in Southport. Exactly one year later, one of these friends, Danica (Madelyn Cline), receives the ominous note at her bridal shower, setting everything in motion. Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), Teddy (Tyriq Withers), and Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), who also participated in the prior year’s cover up, rally around Danica to keep each other safe and find out who could be tormenting them.
While the mysterious murderer carries out an elaborate killing spree, the group seeks help from a couple survivors who went through the same thing almost 30 years ago. Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) lives her life away from the haunting memories of Southport, still dealing with her past trauma, but willing to help these people in need. Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) never left the small fishing community, and he also lends his expertise on how to survive the brutal attacks. As the mystery unravels, so too does the story itself, leading to a head-shaking conclusion.
At one point in the movie, Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character says that nostalgia is overrated, and she couldn’t be more right. Which begs the question, why did writer/director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson focus so much attention on capturing the nostalgia from the original film? For one thing, the entire story is a retread of the 1997 version, simply modernized to keep it in line with the times. For another, dusting off the old characters to reintegrate them into this reboot is fine to bring back the old fans, but Robinson insults their legacy by turning them into shells of their former selves. Then there’s her ridiculous decision to bring back Sarah Michelle Gellar’s deceased character in the form of a dream sequence had by one of the younger characters who never even met her. All these weak attempts at nostalgia are forced and poorly conceived, spitting in the faces of every fan.
From the dialogue to the inexplicable character action, the script is devoid of any intelligence whatsoever. Robinson reinforces this stupidity with predictability and idiotic decisions that leave the audience shaking their head, rolling their eyes, and knowing exactly what will happen next, crushing any hope for suspense. At one point, one of the characters blindly walks right past the murderer, who was right in front of him in plain sight. Even the killer reveal at the end is severely disappointing, weakly connecting the murders together with an absurd motive that is almost laughable. The action scenes themselves are an exercise in futility, going through the motions without any build-up of tension, resulting in anticlimactic death scenes.
The poorly written screenplay is no excuse for some of the most atrocious acting to be found this year. The cast comprising this new generation is incapable of injecting any kind of authenticity or likable and interesting traits to their roles, turning them into useless fodder the audience can’t help but cheer for their demise. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt have never been accused of being talented actors to begin with, so the shameful script only exacerbates their shortcomings, undermining their legacy in this franchise.
Do yourself a favor, watch the original at home, and pretend this movie doesn’t even exist. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is the latest reboot/sequel failure that smacks of being another shameless cash grab. With its opening box office weekend being a distant third place finish, profiting from this unentertaining drivel is no guarantee for the studio.
This movie earns
