A good Philip Glass score – albeit one that's rehashed from the original – is the only good thing about this lacklustre sequel that's more like an endless slasher flick than the evocative and atmospheric ghost story of the first film. Here, Candyman is given a back story (and the flashbacks are the only effective part of the production) while going after various characters who may or may not be his own descendants.
This is a lifeless and vapid film, one that it's genuinely difficult to watch while keeping your eyes open. Every signposted death is familiar from the original, and no extra lashings of grue are going to change that. The story delivers an uninspiring lead actress (Kelly Rowan) and gives her an equally uninteresting brother (William O'Leary), neither of whom do much to elicit sympathy in the viewer. Tony Todd, of course, is exceptional, but it takes more than a single actor to make a great film.
Bill Condon later won plaudits with GODS AND MONSTERS but I found his direction here to be stultifying – and dated in the worst, mid-1990s way. Aside from those aforementioned flashbacks, I can't think of a single moment of life or energy in the entire plot. It's merely uninspired, with Candyman whittling off one character after the other, while way too much time is given to one of those awfully clichéd sub-plots about the police suspecting an entirely innocent victim of the killings. Throwing in some 'name' character actors like Veronica Cartwright and Bill Nunn doesn't soften the experience, either.
This is a lifeless and vapid film, one that it's genuinely difficult to watch while keeping your eyes open. Every signposted death is familiar from the original, and no extra lashings of grue are going to change that. The story delivers an uninspiring lead actress (Kelly Rowan) and gives her an equally uninteresting brother (William O'Leary), neither of whom do much to elicit sympathy in the viewer. Tony Todd, of course, is exceptional, but it takes more than a single actor to make a great film.
Bill Condon later won plaudits with GODS AND MONSTERS but I found his direction here to be stultifying – and dated in the worst, mid-1990s way. Aside from those aforementioned flashbacks, I can't think of a single moment of life or energy in the entire plot. It's merely uninspired, with Candyman whittling off one character after the other, while way too much time is given to one of those awfully clichéd sub-plots about the police suspecting an entirely innocent victim of the killings. Throwing in some 'name' character actors like Veronica Cartwright and Bill Nunn doesn't soften the experience, either.