Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

More elaborate sequel to the effective monster movie of 2001, "Jeepers Creepers II" is more about action than anything else. It's definitely not as creepy (although it does have its spooky moments) and since we now know a fair bit about the Creeper, the mystery element is gone. This story takes place on the last day of the Creeper's feeding cycle, a few days after the events of the first film. A basketball team is returning from a championship game, and the Creeper, after snatching a kid away from his farmer father, tails the teams' bus, crippling it by ruining the tires with something akin to a ninja's throwing stars. It proceeds to decimate the coaching staff & the bus driver, and then terrorize the teens, making sure they can't escape. It's true enough that there are many points in the script with which a viewer can take issue - even yours truly had a hard time buying some of them, and he's a pretty forgiving person. Things tend to get particularly muddled when it comes to the big climax as the teens finally leave the bus, and we wonder where they all get to from scene to scene. It does take a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy this movie, but if one can accomplish this, "Jeepers Creepers II" does reward us with some exciting moments and some extremely amusing money shots. For one thing, it's a total hoot to see the Creeper forced to regenerate certain body parts. It gets a LOT more damage done to it this time around; it's good to see various assorted characters be able to fight back. Particularly interesting is the vengeance-obsessed farmer Jack Taggart (veteran character actor Ray Wise ("RoboCop", 'Twin Peaks') getting a rare case of top billing), who fashions some killing implements using his post puncher. Naturally, due to there being a greater number of characters this time around, they don't get fleshed out too much, although writer / director Victor Salva tries to give the material some meat by introducing an element of racism. Overall, this suffers the same fate as many sequels, lacking the originals' freshness and in truth it doesn't give the viewer too many people for whom they can really root. At least it allows Justin Long to reprise his Darry character from the first film, appearing in ghostly form to offer warnings and information to one of the characters here. Nothing especially good, but not bad either; fortunately, one thing it's not is boring. Seven out of 10.

Fmovies: I really resent that talent and genius have no say in who they inhibit. It hurts that I enjoy a Woody Allen movie or book, and it hurts when I like the Jeepers Creepers films.. Victor Salva was convicted of raping one of his 12 year old co stars in one of his earlier films. He went to prison, paid a fine and now he is out, making millions of dollars and probably watching a lot of child pornography at home ( which he was also convicted of) I suppose , unlike Woody Allen, at least this guys movies make sense. He makes twisted movies, horror films. Which you would half way expect from someone that did. So despite my real trepidation at giving a high rating , it is a good horror movie. So is the first. Great idea, great monster, great horror. I have to admit. Thought it less than a coincidence that these movies feature a monster/demon that feeds on and mutilates young men ( Victor Salvas type) that in this particular film, they are shirtless, good looking and sun bathing. That the demon seems to become sexually aroused at the sight of them, licking the window and shuddering as if having a orgasm , while they scream in fear. Yep. This is probably a jack off movie for the director and I'm sure he probably violated a few of these fame hungry actors in more than one way . But it's a good horror movie. Period.

Not since the early days of Wes Craven thrillers have we had a really good fright flick to scare us in true Halloween fashion. This one does the trick thanks to some extra good CGI effects and some scary situations in the middle of a deserted countryside where teens find themselves menaced by a winged creature determined to make them his flesh-eating victims.

In the only adult role, RAY WISE does a convincing job of making it all look reasonable enough to swallow--and it owes a lot of its punch to the imaginative tales of authors like Stephen King. There are no standout performances among the various teens, but all of them look incredibly afraid of the winged creature--with good reason. The make-up job here is marvelously chilling.

The story is the stuff dreams are made of--or rather, nightmares. And it's all done with extremely clever build-up of suspense as the teens, one by one, become divisive and challenge each other in ways that only undermine their vulnerability. A few of the scenes are very graphic in depicting the creature's stranglehold on his victims and not for the squeamish--or the young and impressionable.

Recommended as a good fright flick, nothing more. But credit must be given to director Victor Salva for keeping the whole tale tense and taut with visual excitement.

Summing up: An above average thriller of its kind. Jonathan Breck makes one scary Creeper.

Jeepers Creepers 2 fmovies. JEEPERS CREEPERS II

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS

Stranded in a broken-down bus on a lonely country road, a group of high school jocks and cheerleaders are targeted by the monstrous Creeper (Jonathan Breck) who needs their body parts for the purposes of regeneration. But the Creeper hasn't reckoned on the tenacity of one of its earlier victims (Ray Wise), a grieving father seeking revenge for the loss of his youngest son...

Though crafted with technical precision and performed with gusto by a strong cast of newcomers and veterans, this disappointing sequel sacrifices the heartfelt emotional undertow of its magnificent predecessor JEEPERS CREEPERS (2000) in favor of bigger and splashier set-pieces. While it's as raucous and entertaining as one could hope for, it's also a surprisingly conventional effort from writer-director Victor Salva, whose best work (POWDER, RITES OF PASSAGE, etc.) has always focused on small groups of characters caught up in extreme situations. Here, his attempts to shoehorn deeper issues into what is essentially a popcorn movie seems forced and inconsequential, and he spreads his narrative concerns too thinly over a broad range of interchangeable characters: The elements of homophobia and racism which initially divide the young heroes - until they're forced to overcome their differences in order to survive the Creeper's onslaught - are rendered increasingly meaningless as the movie progresses, until they no longer have any direct influence on the wider storyline.

But Salva is too much of a craftsman for his movie to be a complete washout. The action/horror set-pieces are genuinely spectacular, and Breck camps it up superbly as the hideous Creeper, swooping out of the darkness to carry unsuspecting victims to their doom. Working in scope format for the first time in their respective careers (REAL scope, not that Super 35 rubbish), Salva and cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy conjure a series of startling images from the outset, many of them tinged with visual poetry: The golden cornfield in the opening sequence, where the film's first victim suffers an appalling fate (a genuinely horrific set-piece); the point-of-view shots from the Creeper's perspective as it swoops on fleeing prey; and the eerie calm of the closing sequence, which portends sequels to come. Salva's regular composer, Bennett Salvay, delivers a terrific symphonic score, as brassy and frightening as any in recent years, which serves to boost the film's dramatic appeal in no uncertain terms.

Wise, a late addition to the cast, dominates the film as an avenging farmer who is every bit the Creeper's equal in terms of strength and persistence, and he's given strong support by veterans Diane Delano and Thom Gossom Jr. The younger cast members are enthusiastic and talented, and it's a fair bet that some of them (Travis Schiffner, Al Santos, Nicki Aycox, etc.) will figure heavily in various Hunkiest/Sexiest lists during the next few years. Look out for a brief - but welcome - cameo appearance by Justin Long from "JC1". It may not live up to every expectation, but there's still much to enjoy in JEEPERS CREEPERS II.

Decent follow-up to Jeepers Creepers takes place just days after the original. The story focuses on a group of athletic high school kids (a varsity team along with their coaches and cheerleaders), who are on their way home when they get stranded in the middle of nowhere after their bus breaks down. They soon come to the terrifying realization that it wasn't an accident, and that they're all being hunted by a meticulous monster who's in the midst of a timely feeding frenzy. At times exciting, with more than enough violence and effective scares make this good fun if you're willing to pardon the annoyingly one-note characters and banal dialogue. **½

Now this is what I call some good old entertainment. The creeper is one of the best movie icons out there in my opinion. I thought the first movie was quite mediocre. It was all a bit too cheesy for my liking. But then this sequel came. At first, I didn't't expect too much from it: I rented it at the local Videoland. But when I watched it, I was sold. I bought it at the very next opportunity and I watched it 3 times so far (quite a lot in my book). It's too bad the dutch release is a sorry excuse for a DVD but hey, this one is all about the contents! The plot is quite simplistic, and it's no Oscar material but if you're looking for some good entertainment with a mean "mofo" playing the star of the evening, this should be your pick. The action is wonderful and it has a healthy dose of humorous moments (well, they may not be humorous to some but to me they are :)).