Rating: 1.5/5
Synopsis:
Another 90’s horror franchise gets a legacy sequel! The plot follows a similar premise to the original, where a group of teenagers are driving to see a 4th of July fireworks show atop the highway mountain. But when they cause an accident on the way, they decide to cover up the events and pretend they never happened. One year later, the group receives a menacing message informing them that someone knows what they did the previous summer. The group must figure out who is behind the messages before they are all killed off for their sins. Will they survive?
Positives:
I was quite excited to revisit the “ I Know What You Did Last Summer” franchise. Although I haven’t been the biggest fan of the series, the marketing was effective enough to gain my interest. The movie has an undeniable love for the original, paying homage to certain lines and sequences that are sure to get a grin out of fans. The film is much more humorous than expected, fully leaning into the campy nature of the premise. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows how to have fun. I also enjoyed the presentation of the Fisherman killer. He has a towering presence and manages to feel more intimidating than ever before. It’s fun to see Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. returning to their roles as well. While they aren’t given the best material to work with, they manage to provide a nice balance to the new characters. The twist at the end is likely to be divisive, but I believe it helps the film stand out within the franchise. It takes a risk that most other franchises are unlikely to attempt. It’s gutsy, so credit to director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson for such a big swing. It’s clear she loves this franchise and wanted to leave her mark with this film.
Negatives:
Unfortunately, “ I Know What You Did Last Summer” is mostly a disappointment. The film had so much potential to right the wrongs of the earlier entries. But instead, it falls into absurdity just like the others. The script is quite bad, managing to make a group of unlikable characters even more insufferable. They don’t act like normal people for most of the film, behaving in such a way that makes the viewer wait in anticipation for them to get axed by the killer. There was not a single one of them I had sympathy for outside of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character. This was even more disappointing for the returning legacy characters because their utilization in the story could have been so much better.
The story construction is also amateurish, going on far too long and managing to stay tame in the gore department. There is only one memorable kill throughout the entire film. I’m surprised with the lack of gnarly kills as upping the gore in legacy sequels is a recent trend. A handful of kills were offscreen which is extremely disappointing. The film also has a cameo shoehorned into the story just to showcase one of the returning characters. While it’s great to see them, it didn’t feel necessary at all and seemed like a cheap attempt at nostalgia. But the film’s conclusion is the part that really lost me. When the killer is revealed, the entire sequence feels rushed and undercooked. I understood the general idea of the motivation but it’s underwhelming as a whole. The story ends on such a ridiculous note that it made me antsy to get out of my seat and exit the theater. My patience had cashed out at that point. The flow of the film is off and the end product feels cheap. I really wanted to like the film but it unfortunately falls into the pit of forgettable slashers with no rewatch value.
Conclusion:
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” is an ambitious but lackluster attempt to revitalize the franchise. Instead of bringing new life to the series, it trips over its own feet and feels like a cheaper, forgettable version of the “Scream” franchise. The new characters are pretty terrible and the returning cast isn’t given much to do other than provide exposition. The kills are also disappointing, failing to bring the modern brutality of other legacy sequels. The conclusion is also a mess (although the twist is fun). It leaves viewers with a feeling of disappointment, likely triggering eyerolls and unprovoked laughs. It seems we are likely getting a sequel, so hopefully the next film takes note and fixes some of these problems. Otherwise, the Fisherman should surrender his hook and dock his boat!
