Stars:
Mila Kunis, Geraint Wyn Davis, William Shatner, and Robin Dunne
Writers:
Alex Sanger and Karen Craig
Director:
Morgan J. Freeman
Feature
length: 88 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Stereo
Subtitles:
N/A
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 24
Sound:
Dolby Stereo Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: Lions Gate Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
The
following is a review of a screening disc and not final product. Certain extra
features such as Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Director’s Commentary,
Deleted Scenes, and Trailers cannot be covered here because final product
containing these features was not provided at the time of writing this review.
“American
Psycho,” based on Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel, was a 37 million
dollar theatrical hit and an even bigger success on home video. With any
successful film made in the last hundred years or so it appears that the old
saying “If you can sell something once, you can sell it again” has been the
philosophy in the production unnecessary remakes and sequels that often cheapen
the integrity of the original if not dilute it completely. Everything that made
“American Psycho” a clever statement on the ravenous appetites of the 1980s
that has carried over prophetically into the 21st century with the
recent Enron scandal is lost in this terribly disappointing sequel. For the
record, the character of Patrick Bateman is still alive and well in Easton’s
novels though he is a side character in other stories much like “Castle
Rock” is a place that exists in more than one Stephen King’s novels. In fact
the filmmakers would have been wiser not to include any reference to Bateman at
all so that fans of the book and film can pretend that this sequel never
happened, but alas Bateman is dead at the hands of a little girl who witnessed
the death of his final victim before stabbing him from behind. Now in college,
she somehow was never associated with Bateman’s death and has killed her way
to the top of the class so she can get a Teacher’s Assistant job under a
former FBI Agent turned professor (William Shatner), who was after Bateman and
subsequently quit after the loss of our new psycho’s old babysitter, who also
happened to be his mistress.
Now
she wants to join the FBI and sees the job on campus as her next step toward
that goal if she can kill the competition. I’m not spoiling it when I say she
does and in the end the film is so tongue in cheek about itself that it cheapens
any of the irony the original film had with contrivances that wouldn’t even be
acceptable in a cheesy “Halloween/Scream/Jason/Freddy” clone. As far as I
can tell from the screening disc, “American Psycho 2: All American Girl” is
presented in a (1.85:1) anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. The picture had some
noticeable compression artifacts in certain scenes, but nothing too serious. The
English Dolby Stereo Soundtrack was vibrant enough to create a good surround
feel even if the sound was only coming from the left and right front channel
speakers. The final DVD, which is in stores now, features a full Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Soundtrack and maybe a better transfer.
I
wish I could say better things about this film, but the truth is I can’t. All
I can do is shake my head every time I think about it.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.