Sorry, this movie sucks

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I have to say I was pretty surprised by how much I liked the first 2/3 of this movie. Didn't have high hopes coming in but was happy to see a good 90's horror flick with a storyline. Then the " Climax " happens and it all goes to hell. Seriously people ? That's what you have for an ending to all this? So disappointed

Originally titled The Curse, this film, based on the real-life Spur Posse case, sat in development hell for two years. One can only wish that it had remained there. How did we as a people allow this movie to happen? If only social media had been around to shame this film into nothingness back then! The original story was so close to Carrie that the producers decided to go for it and the film finally went into production in 1998 under the title Carrie 2: Say You're Sorry. However, just a few weeks into production, director Robert Mandel (School Ties, F/X) quit over creative difference and Katt Shea (Stripped to Kill, Poison Ivy) stepped in with less than a week to prepare and two weeks' worth of unusable footage.Did you like Hackers? Well, if you did, good news. The writer of that movie, Rafael Moreu, also wrote this. Chances are, however, that you disliked that movie. Most people do.Man, where to start? Well, how about in the past, where Barbara Lang paints a red paint barrier throughout her house to protect her daughter Rachel from Satan? There's a nice transition here where we go from the young girl holding her puppy to the teen version holding an older version of Walter the dog.Rachel hates her foster parents (the dad is John Doe from X!) and only has one friend, Lisa (a pre-American Pie and American Beauty, if only by a few months, Mena Suvari). On the bus, Lisa shares that she just gave up her virginity to Eric (Zachery Ty Bryan of TV's Home Improvement), a football player.The truth? It's all an elaborate game where players get points for sleeping with different girls. Eric rejects her and Lisa dives off the roof of the school, igniting Rachel's telekinetic powers.That's when we meet Sue Snell (Amy Irving, who asked Brian De Palma for his blessing), the only person who came back from the original. She's now a school counselor and she and Sheriff Kelton are trying to figure out why so many girls have come to her in tears. Never mind that one of them just did a perfect dive off the garden club's roof.Meanwhile, Walter the dog gets hit by a car and Jesse, the nice football player takes her to the animal hospital. Becca assures me that Jason London and his twin brother, Jesse, were once a big deal. All I know is that he was in Dazed and Confused. The football players learn that Rachel figured out the game and alerted the police, so they try and intimidate her. Her powers nearly kill them before her foster parents arrive.Sue Snell drops the bomb on Rachel soon after. Her father, Ralph White, also was the father of Carrie White, who burned down the school that Sue attended and killed 70 people thanks to her powers. Rachel refuses to believe that they are half-sisters, even after a visit to the burned down school. This is probably where the planned Sissy Spacek cameo would have gone, but she did not want to be in the film. She did allow her old footage to be used, however. There was even a version shot of this scene where Rachel kicked the metal bucket that dropped onto Carrie's head, but thankfully smarter heads won out.So Jesse falls in love with Rachel, despite popular girl Tracy being all butthurt about it. Oh yeah - I forgot that American Pie alumnus Eddie Kaye Thomas shows up, too.The players get out of jail free thanks to the status of their parents. But they want revenge, so they decide to humiliate Rachel. They secretly tape Rachel and Jesse making love and play it at a big party that they've invited Rachel to. The players also reveal their sex game and make her believe that Jesse never really loved her.As they all scream and yell at her (one of them even yells, "They're all going to laugh at you," which one imagines they would only know from an Adam Sandler routine), she finally unleashes her power and kills nearly everyone. This is the one great scene in the film, as her tattoo (which looks like the fakest tattoo in the history of the fake tattoo game) becomes vines that descend down her arm.Sue has somehow stolen Barbara from the mental institution to try and save Rachel, but it causes her death (shades of Miss Collins in the original). Even spear guns and a flare gun can't stop her. Finally, her mother tells her that she is possessed by Satan and wants nothing to do with her and Rachel begs to die.Tracy comes into the house and Rachel kills her with absolutely no mercy. As the videotape of Jesse and Rachel plays, she makes him explain. He screams that he loves her but she doesn't believe it until she hears the same tone on the video. The ceiling collapses on her and he stays by her side to kiss, but she pushes him away as she dies.A year later, while in his college dorm with her dog (he must have one of those great football player deals that allow you to have a pet on campus and yes, I get the silliness of me being bothered by this when I've just watched an entire movie about psychic powers), Rachel appears to him in a dream before she shatters. And yes, that's the dumbest ending I've seen in some time.This movie is a complete piece of 1990's junk and not in a good way. It's all shot with that crushed black/blue filter, everything on the soundtrack sounds like Fear Factory and it makes you realize a time and place where horrible sequels like this and An American Werewolf in Paris were considered good ideas. This would have been better if it were a movie that stood in its own so that I could have ended this article with something like, well, it's no Carrie. Instead, it shoves that fact into your face from the very first frame.

Rachel Lang (Emily Bergl)'s mother was sent away when she was a child. Her foster parents only care about the money. Her best friend Lisa Parker (Mena Suvari) lost her virginity to Eric (Zachery Ty Bryan) but it's only a game for the football players. He rejects her and she commits suicide. Rachel tells school counselor Sue Snell (Amy Irving) and Sheriff Kelton. Sue pushes Kelton to charge Eric for statutory rape. Jesse Ryan (Jason London) is a popular kind-hearted jock who falls for Rachel. Eric and the football players try to intimidate Rachel and her burgeoning telekinetic power is unleashed. Sue investigates and discovers that Ralph White is Rachel's biological father.Director Katt Shea can only do TV movie level work. Emily Bergl is a bit too old to play a teenager and so is Jason London. Sissy Spacek was so much better and she looked so innocent. Everything like the constant flashback to the original reminds me how much better that was. Amy Irving's return helps a little but in other ways, she doesn't help at all. Her investigation diverges attention away from the schoolmates. It's also questionable how easily she is pulled into the party. The special effects are generally poor until the last section when the film throws everything into it. This is a weak sequel to a horror classic.

"The Rage" is a serious high school drama that includes the sub-theme of telekinesis and ends in utter, tragic horror.The basic plot is the same as Stephen King's original, albeit with a stronger person as the title character. Hence, "The Rage" is essentially a more-modern remake as much as a sequel. In fact, it's not even necessary to see the original to appreciate it.THE PLOT: A social outcast in high school slowly becomes aware that she has telekinetic abilities. These powers are unleashed with lethal fury when the popular kids pull a meanspirited prank on her.WHAT WORKS: I'm glad "The Rage" doesn't have the creepy Pharisaical mother like in the original. This is one aspect that I couldn't stand about "Carrie." It (sort of) gave the impression that anyone who takes the teachings of Christianity seriously will become a warped, hideous, deathly, abusive killjoy like Carrie's mother. Actually, although there are indeed modern-day Pharisees in Christendom, nothing could be further from the truth. Authentic Christianity gives liberty, life and joy, not the opposite (see, for example, John 8:31-32, John 10:10 and 1 Peter 1:8). Don't take me wrong here, I'm not preachin' to you.Emily Bergl plays Carrie's half-sister Rachel and she does it well. She's an outcast like Carrie but she's stronger, more confident and doesn't have a dream to fit in with the popular kids. One of the film's themes is: Does love really exist? Rachel says she doesn't believe in love. Her mother's in a mental institution. She's a foster child and her foster parents clearly only have her for the extra money, not because they love her.Any teenager or adult can readily relate to the situations/issues addressed in the film:The common cliques: the "popular" crowd, oversexed jocks, snooty cheerleaders, rich kids and their parents, nerds, outcasts, etc. - Pre-mature sexual experience and the resulting emotional turmoil. - Suicide. - the spiritual emptiness of casual sex. - First love, true love. - Being attracted to or dating someone outside your social stratum. - Football, players, fandom and hardcore coaching antics. - Friendship, rivalry, fights. - Partying."The Rage" effectively brings to life these joys and horrors of the high school experience.Jesse, played by Jason London is an interesting character. Jesse is truly attracted to Rachel, but why? It's not that she's conventionally beautiful like his ex-girlfriend, although she's not ugly either. Perhaps Jesse sees the superficiality and conformity of the spoiled "popular kids" clique and veers toward someone more humble, loving and genuine, like Rachel. Also observe that Jesse isn't a conformist, even though he's technically part of the popular kids clique: Because of his love for an outcast he fearlessly stands up to the most popular (arrogant) jock; everyone on the team gets his head shaved except Jesse, etc.It's interesting to note that, although Rachel is portrayed as a misfit who likes Marilyn Manson, she's not a rebellious, disrespectful teenager. She never "answers back" her foster 'father,' she works, she isn't promiscuous and isn't a party monger.Furthermore, "The Rage" is respectful of its source. It even brings back the lone survivor of the original, Sue Snell (Amy Irving), as a school counselor.Also, the credits features the excellent song "Crazy Little Voices" by the Egyptian band Ra, which isn't available on their proper albums.WHAT DOESN'T WORK: There's a love scene that's premature IMHO, but it can be defended on the grounds that time has to be condensed in a movie.I just saw the original "Carrie" and "The Rage" back-to-back and I liked the latter better with the exception of the original's prom scene, which is iconic with the blood-splattered Sissy and the fire in the background. Plus, the '76 version is the original version and it gets points just for that whereas "Carrie 2" loses points for just being another take on the same basic plot. I suppose you could also argue that the original has better mood, which it does.Yet I prefer the sequel because Rachel is a much more interesting character than Carrie in the original film and Jesse is really attracted to Rachel -- even loves her -- rather than Tommy just doing his girlfriend a favor and feeling sorry for Carrie in the original.Also, the thin plot of the original is clearly padded -- unimportant scenes are drawn-out to about twice the length they need to be -- and this makes the movie seem long at 98 minutes and some parts boring. "The Rage," by contrast, runs 104 minutes but it doesn't seem as long (or boring) as the original because the story and characters are more interesting and the film isn't padded. FINAL ANALYSIS: I encourage you to be openminded and allow yourself to enjoy a different take on the same basic plot of "Carrie." Both films have their strengths. In some ways "The Rage" is better than "Carrie." It's definitely not a weak or campy sequel; rather it's a strong late-90s updating and effectively showcases the joys and horrors of the high school years.The film was shot in Dallas & Charlotte, NC, and runs 104 minutes.GRADE: A