Star Cast: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
What’s Good: The slasher formula remains true and proven, so watching the characters die is always fun.
What’s Bad: The revival doesn’t do anything to stand out, and what is there feels rather generic and played out.
Loo Break: Missing the killings might be a bad idea when they are the only element that really makes the film watchable.
Watch or Not?: Only watch if you are a huge fan of the slasher genre. If you aren’t, there is very little here to justify the ticket price.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 111 Minutes
User Rating:
I Know What You Did Last Summer Movie Review: Script Analysis
When the first I Know What You Did Last Summer released way back in 1997, the slasher genre was at its best, and it was king of the horror genre and also an easy way to make money on a low budget, like it is the case with most horror films. However, even though the sequel wasn’t especially terrible, it was clear that I Know What You Did Last Summer wouldn’t reach the heights of other slasher films like the previously mentioned Scream, and so the series was put to rest, at least on the big screen.
And so, it is very strange to see that this revival doesn’t really try to do anything different from the previous entries. Because of that, while it feels like what the movie should be, it isn’t what it needs to be to survive in this more volatile and competitive scenario. With a script penned by Robinson herself, there are definitely changes when it comes to the time period, but the premise of a group of young people being punished for something they did continues, and it works, partially.
The slasher genre, just like the romantic comedy genre, follows a strict set of rules, and this new reboot does just that. This means that if you have seen one of these films before, you will pretty much see everything coming your way. There is effort in trying to make something fresh, and one of the main twists is just that, but there are so many other trappings following the classic slasher template that they don’t amount to have the impact they should.
Character work is also very sketchy, like it is in most of the films in the genre. While the characters are fine, the film doesn’t allow them to be developed or profound in any way, and because of this, it is hard to care about whether they live or die.
I Know What You Did Last Summer Movie Review: Star Performance
Like the original film’s cast, this new I Know What You Did Last Summer is filled with brand-new talent worth checking out, but the film definitely doesn’t feel like it is filled with future stars. I could definitely be wrong, but only time will tell. As such, all actors do fine. The material only allows them to do a bit of proper acting, of transforming themselves into other people, but it is enough to keep the film going as we wait for the next kill.
Madelyn Cline is definitely the stand-out, and she feels like the only big star that could come out of the franchise, at least for now. However, it is hard to judge the actors when the material is so outdated and at times cringeworthy.