If you look back at the quality of the previous Halloween sequels (not counting Rob Zombie's cool reboot duality ), the quality does seem hit & miss . So once again, it's only natural that the classic slasher horror franchise by John Carpenter is one of the next iconic franchises to get the Ret-Con treatment .
For those who don't know, Ret-Con aka Retroactive Continuity is one of the most popular trends in the entertainment industry, especially Hollywood.
This trend is used by most of the film franchises to correct the order of the continuity of the film franchise story . This is done with the hope to satisfy fans of the new and the fans of veterans who often protest kelogikaan existing continuity.
So, by implementing this trend, we who are big fans of the Halloween franchise , should be satisfied. But honey. After watching the film, we regretted why this film was conceived as the official Ret-Con sequel.
Many Changes Wrong Take
And it is not without reason that we think so. The reason is, quite a lot of factors that make this film should not be the official sequel. However, of all the existing factors, it is the wrong factor in making repair decisions which is the main problem.
I mean here, there are a lot of changes that were made by director David Gordon Green ( Pineapple Express ) and actor and comedian Danny McBride ( 30 Minutes or Less) who wrote the script which really looks really wrong or shouldn't be like that.
First, is the decision of this film that opens the beginning of the film through the perspectives of two investigative journalist characters who have spent years studying the dark cases experienced by Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) 4 decades earlier, Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) and Dana Haines (Rhian). ress). It actually makes sense and is fine .
However, to be honest geeks. Our original intention to watch this film was to see how Laurie is doing 40 years later, right? So yes, this film should be taken from his point of view. Or at least from the point of view of the maniac, Michael Myers (Nick Castle).
Fortunately, as has been said, the application of his point of view still seems reasonable and more importantly, only in the beginning. After that, the point of view of the storytelling was again taken from the perspective of Laurie and her family.
Annoying Grandchildren & Lack of Build-up Suspense
The next mistake is the display and much of the focus of this sequel on the character of Laurie's grandson, Allyson Strode (Andi Matichak). One question that has successfully "burned" our brains since watching the film until we wrote this review : "What is this character shown for?"
At the beginning of the film, the grandson seems to have an important role. But as the scene progresses, Allyson ends up playing a supporting role.
It wasn't until the last minute (including the ending ) that the characters looked important. Although at the same time, it is undeniable that the level / attribution of importance is still in the "fine" stage .
And the third factor as well as the main complaint of this sequel is the development of tense tension or build-up suspense which is not as intense as the original film.
Specifically, we certainly still remember Carpenter's way of building the tension of the film's plot, which slowly but surely in the original film, right? Now, the development of the iconic tension is unfortunately not as great as it used to be.
Oh yes one more. This sequel displays a lot of jump-scare tactics that are wrong or not like in Halloween movies or other ancient horror films which as a result, make us annoyed ourselves when we feel it. Yes, what do you do? The trend of scaring horror films today is indeed "wrong" like that, isn't it?
Michael Myers Still Crazy and Fierce
Fortunately, the script from the sequel that also brings back the actor who played Myers when not wearing a mask, Tony Moran is not all bad. There are some positive aspects to it too. The first positive aspect of course is the portrayal of our favorite serial killer in this film.
Every time he appears on the screen, his figure still looks fierce and sadistic as we have seen for the past 40 years. Victims still fall with the sadistic and "creative" "technique" to kill him.
But at the same time, unfortunately he was not given a clear motive for his actions. Indeed, in this sequel he returns to his hometown of Haddonfield after messing up his mental hospital transfer bus, with the aim of getting back into action on Halloween.
But in this film he is shown killing whoever he wants to kill. This is of course very different from the motive of the original film which only targets Laurie's friends and those who are having free sex.
At first glance, this aspect is not a big problem. After all, his name is also a psychopath killer, right? Of course. But the "target market" that became the target is already so iconic. So, do not be surprised if we felt a bit " meh " when viewed Myers murdered his victims at random ( random ).
Jamie Lee Curtis the Only Badass Laurie Strode
Another positive aspect of Halloween, of course, is Curtis' appearance as Laurie. WOW. It can be said that the actress who is now 59 years old was indeed created by God Almighty to play this character.
Sorry if it's a bit too much of a compliment. But that's how we felt when we saw his performance. He is shown here just more badass . But at the same time, his figure this time is also able to make those of us who witness, empathize with him
We also feel how painful it is to live every day still being overshadowed by someone who has been super traumatized for 4 decades and, is responsible for the breakdown of good relations with all family members.
Based on that statement, yes, it can be said that we can't imagine another actress who can replace Curtis as Laurie if one day Hollywood decides to reboot this franchise totally . Hmm, I hope that's not the case.
Projects That Shouldn't Have Been Made
But despite some of the positive aspects that have been mentioned, in the end this 2018 version of Halloween , should not need to be greened by Carpenter's project. Honestly, at first we were quite excited to hear that this version would be the official sequel.
But after watching the film, we are now confused about how much "bribery" Blum gave to Carpenter in order to get his blessing to carry out this sequel project.
After all, if you think about it, this franchise doesn't need the Ret-Con treatment . Because in our opinion, Halloween II (1981) and Halloween H20 (1998) are two truly original Halloween sequels . Even if this film really wants to be released, don't forget the events that happened in the previous Halloween films that featured Laurie.
But what are you going to do? Carpenter is not young anymore and needs income in his old age, right? Finally, for geeks who might be a new audience, maybe you will like this film. But for geeks who are fanboys of the franchise , they will most likely be sorely disappointed.
However, we suggest that geeks watch the original 1978 film first before watching this latest version.
