The Collection (2012)

Following the events of the first film, Arkin (Josh Stewart) breaks out of the insane maze devised by the Collector just as a rave is being slaughtered on the level below him. Before he escapes, he sees Elana (Emma Fitzpatrick) the daughter of a wealthy, vengeful father (Christopher McDonald) who has created a team led by Lucello (Lee Tergeson) to find his daughter. Arkin forces himself back into The Collector's private hell to find the girl.

It is really required viewing to see the predecessor to understand the successor. Just as you can't understand a current Presidency without being told of what built up to it, history is important to understand the present. Before I saw the sequel, I took in 2010's "The Collector". It is an intense, harrowing nail-biter that I can't recommend more. The sequel is just as intense but lacks the finesse that the first had in spades.

We have our main character, Arkin, who is expertly played by Josh Stewart. In the first film, you understood more about what drove him and how he might have been clever enough to survive the devastating maze. In the sequel, he is less clever and less developed. With two films already made, perhaps another film is already in the works. I hope this one furthers the back story of our hero and paints him in starker contrast to the villain.

The story is really put into the relationship between the kidnapped girl, played by Emma Fitzpatrick, and Lee Tergeson's Lucello, the leader of the team trying to find her. Through flashbacks we see that Lucello saved the girl from a car accident long ago that left her father badly injured. But we never learn anything else about him. Who was he? What relationship did he have to the family? Why would he risk his life for this girl?

Finally we have The Collector, the demented freak who somehow has the means to construct the unholy traps that await anyone who is fool enough to feel his wrath. If you saw any of the "Saw" films only to see how twisted some minds can be, you'll be shocked at what the people who made this movie (repeat: it is only a movie) can come up with. The actor who wears that bizarre leather mask does a good job seeming scary and mysterious but doesn't do much else. He is obviously smarter than the average film butcher, why doesn't he act like it?

Besides some design flaws, the interior of the film remains relatively intact. It keeps your attention with a brisk pace and an energetic soundtrack that matched the feel of the scene Had the script been a bit more supportive on some biographies, you would feel for the characters as more than just expendable fodder for the Collector.

All in all, "The Collector" is a creepy, terrifying thrill that stands above any of the other horror we will see until "The Collected".

Fmovies: 'THE COLLECTION': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Sequel to the 2009 grisly slasher film 'THE COLLECTOR' once again written by horror meisters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton and directed by Dunstan. Dunstan and Melton are the team that wrote all three 'FEAST' films, the last four 'SAW' films, 'PIRANHA 3DD' and the original 'COLLECTOR' (which Dunstan also directed). This installment has the survivor from the original film (Josh Stewart) leading a team of mercenaries into the warehouse of a deranged serial killer, he just escaped from, in order to rescue the daughter of a successful businessman. If you enjoyed the first film you're sure to love this follow-up. Everything is bigger, bloodier and more gruesomely entertaining (if you're a horror fan).

The film begins with Arkin (Stewart), the hero from the first film, escaping his captor 'The Collector' (played by stuntman Randall Archer this time) at a club where he brutally murders dozens of people. As he's escaping he witness Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) being taken by 'The Collector'. He makes his way to a hospital where he's approached by a man named Lucello (Lee Tergesen) who wants Arkin to lead him and a team of mercenaries in to the killer's lair (a booby trapped warehouse) in order to rescue Elena. Lucello works for Elena's wealthy father, Mr. Peters (Christopher McDonald), and will stop at nothing to bring Elena back home to him. He forces Arkin to enter the warehouse with his team and into a maze of horror once again.

I heard one critic call the movie the 'ALIENS' of the series and that's an assessment I definitely agree with. It's a sequel that boldly expands on the mythology of the first and ups the bloody ante very aggressively (the body count goes through the roof)! It also follows a very similar formula to the James Cameron horror sequel classic; the sole survivor from the first film leads a team of gung ho mercenaries back in to the mouth of madness he just escaped from. If you're a fan of the genre and the original film you're sure to enjoy this installment, if you're not a fan you probably won't like the film. I really enjoy this series in particular and very much look forward to a third installment; I think it's the slasher genre done to perfection (just about). I hope enough other true fans discover this series in order for it to draw the cult following it deserves and continue it's bloody slasher film legacy.

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An over the top gruesome gore galore fest that makes most other horror films look like a Disney movie. If you enjoy mass murder and torture and carnage, then this is just your cup of blood. "The Collection" is quite implausible but original, if that is possible. Judging by the ending get ready for a sequel to this sequel.

And a fine, grizzly time was had by one and all!

The Collection fmovies. Wow. To start, I am a huge fan of The Collector. This film has no semblance to it's precursor. It is the worst, laziest pantomime of a Saw film bordering on parody. The editing is abysmal with nonsensical smash-cuts in the action sequences that will make your brain hurt. While The Collector definitely lacked in the logistics department, it more than made up for it in direction, framing, tension, mildly clever visual metaphors and the pivotal plot elements. The Collection dumps all that out the window and goes for a straight up poor man's Die Hard. The setup is beyond paper-thin, the characters unsympathetic, undeveloped, and uninteresting. Goddard must have had to push pretty hard for this to get green lit...but I don't understand why. This was clearly phoned in, rushed, uninspired and no care taken in it's development...yet a third film is teased in the epilogue.

So here is something new for me -- Watching a horror movie sequel, not knowing it's a sequel, and it being good enough that I want to see the original. Weird, huh? Don't get me wrong, it has it's faults. An incredible body count that would draw the attention of the CIA, FBI, and any local police much less the Criminal Minds-type teams. It's completely impossible to have that many dead bodies in building and it not just REEK of death to the point you can't go in. But... it's a horror movie. Just go with it.

If you can just go with it, and you like really scary, psychological thrilling, torture-porn horror flicks like SAW, it's pretty good. It's certainly scary, quite unpredictable, and the acting is actually... not terrible. The plot is original. It's very gory. But it didn't come across as being all about the gore. It had you thinking, "What would I do if I was in that situation." Most of the time, my answer was - Sit down and cry.

I compare it to the Saw franchise, because it was written by some of the guys who wrote some of those, and because of the sadistic puzzles the people had to go through. But it really isn't the same as Saw because the plot was different. I would say if you like the Saw movies, you'd really enjoy this. If you didn't, don't waste you time. It's wouldn't be your type of film.

I gave it an 8 meaning it to be compared only to other horror movies, not to all movies in general. It certainly isn't for non-horror people. And it isn't a family film. Some of it was very hard to watch. I was proud of the fact that the ticket seller refused to sell a ticket to the 20-year-old in front of me trying to buy tickets for the 10 and 12 year olds she brought to this. It's not for kiddies at all.

I'm going to get part 1 (The Collector) on Netflix, then hope part 3 (if there is one) is as good.

"The Collection" is a fun, gory time at the movies. A sequel to "The Collector", the story is about a serial killer who uses elaborate contraptions to kill groups of people but he always seems to take one away alive, and bring one of his "collection" to his next murder scene. After a jaw-dropping opening sequence in a club, he snatches a girl who is the daughter of a rich man. The man hires mercenaries to rescue her, bringing along the survivor from the first film. So they head off to The Collector's house of horrors to find her...

The film is pretty much non-stop action, violence, and gore. There are plot-holes a'plenty here -- the killer must be a multi-billionaire and able to control time and space to be able to do what he does, so too much thinking (heck, ANY thinking) will only damage your enjoyment of the film. But if you want to spend 90 minutes at a fun, gory flick, "The Collection" will do just fine.