Look, sometimes lightning strikes at the right time, in the right place. And that happened with the 1997 horror comedy Jack Frost. With the decent marketing, outlandish plot, and the cast playing it straight (and delivering good performances), the film was a direct-to-home-video success. So, of course, we're going to a get a sequel, but...
Really, Chris, you're going back to the bottom of the barrel.
Hey, Ghost of Christmas Past. I liked the first one, and in my review of it, I said I'd get to the sequel. If I can't follow up my promise for twelve holiday reviews by the end of December, I'm at least going to get to this film.
Well, I can respect that.
Hey, I'm doing my best. Now please leave, and let me get to this review.
Fine. See you soon.
Oh, lucky me. Okay, so the first Jack Frost (not the Keaton movie) was a home video success, so it's no surprise writer/ director Michael Cooney (oh, wow, he wrote Identity, starring John Cusack, Ray Lotta and Amanda Peet; I didn't expect that on his resume) was able to raise enough money for a sequel three years later. But, honestly, we didn't need it. The film offers no reason for a follow-up, other than to make more money and set up a franchise. Oh yeah, Cooney had plans for a third. More on that later.
The film takes place a year after the events at Snowmonton, where Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport) and his wife Anne (Eileen Seeley) are heading out to a tropical island to celebrate the wedding of deputy Joe (Chip Heller) and his fiancee Marie (Marsha Clark).
Look, it's nice that the original actors are back. But it doesn't make the movie a must watch. As before, they all are good, but the script doesn't give any reason for the audience to care about their reprising their roles.
Of course, some government agency is still interested in using snowman Jack (voiced once again by Scott MacDonald) as a weapon, so they dig him up and allow him to escape, because of course they do. No government facility is secure enough to stop a movie plot.
You "snow" I'd be back. I'll see myself out now.
Jack is able to follow Sam to the island, because in the first film, their DNA mixed when Sam and Jack dropped into the ani-freeze trap the sheriff set up. Yeah, okay, I'm a fan of bad 50s sci fi films, so I can get the SCIENCE! behind this (and if you don't shout it, it's not 50s SCIENCE!). It also gives Jack a weakness the cast can exploit, which is good, as Jack now seems to be a snow god on par with Elsa in that Disney film. He's now able to manipulate the weather, can create indestructible, murderous snowball critters, and is unaffected by anti-freeze.
Look, this worked in Gremlins. What's the problem now?
So, with Sam succumbing to his PTSD, Anne has to step up and find a way to stop Jack, as snowy mayhem ensues.
If you've seen the first one, you know what to expect, an intentionally cheesy horror film with low budget effects, plenty of gore and, this time, some gratuitous nudity. We even get an appearance from Doug Jones (yes, THAT Doug Jones). But this time, something's missing, and I think it's due to the setting.
Hey' we're shoot at a location with a pool. Might as well use it for a skinny dipping scene!
Look, I get that relying on the weather to deliver what a filmmaker wants is dicey. You plan shooting at a location that usually has snow, but it turns out to be a dry year. You go to film in Hawaii, and the film is delayed due to a hurricane. You can't predict the weather, so setting this film at a tropical resort seems a good idea, as you can fake a tropical island better easier than trying to fill a town with snow.
But, the first Jack Frost location gave the film a bit more charm. The second one comes off looking terribly cheap. And moving the location to somewhere sunnier doesn't keep with the Christmas vibe. Though Jack does cover the island with snow, the film looses the holiday charm of the original, just like Silent Night, Deadly Night 2. If you're making a Christmas slasher film, the setting needs to fit the season. You can't just throw up a few Christmas lights and call it good.
Sorry, it just doesn't look as good as the first film.
But the biggest problem with this film is it tries too hard to capture what made the original work. Sometimes, you just have to accept that your first effort was the best you could do with the story, and just let it go. But I'm sure the idea of a franchise, and the money that comes with it, was impossible for filmmaker Conney to resist. I can't blame him for making a sequel when he could, but I don't think he should have.
As I mentioned, Conney teases a third film with an end credit scene. Yeah, he was planning Jackzilla. Appears that wasn't a joke, though I think it's better left as a comedic final scene.
Look, the original Jack Frost is a fun holiday slasher. But Jack Frost 2 just doesn't work. It might be fine playing in the background while you wrap presents or prepare your holiday meal. But if you're going to sit down on a cold winter night and watch a Christmas horror film, I can suggest others more worth your time.
You won't want to got to this extreme while watching the film. You'll just wonder why you bothered.
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