by jellydonut25 » Mon Oct 22, 2018 10:16 am
Halloween 2018 - I really liked it a lot. Curious how it will hold up on rewatches because a big part of the reason I was grinning throughout much of it was that I was sitting in a theater, watching a new Halloween movie, scored by John Carpenter, in OCTOBER.
I think a big part of the mixed reactions are due to people expecting something either due to their own expectations of the franchise based on the movies they enjoy already, or the trailers being a tad misleading. My friends and I talk about this often with franchises, but this movie positioned itself as 'the true successor to the original' and everything that means...but really, there's never going to be another Halloween movie like that. It was lightning in a bottle, and since then the slasher genre has taken off down such a different path that you really CAN'T do a Halloween movie like that ever again. It's just like Godzilla. So many people expected Godzilla 2014 to be the next Gojira...that's NEVER happening again. EVER. Godzilla 2014 has its own faults and failings and strengths and weaknesses, but I have no time for people who claim the trailers were misleading therefore the movie sucks. I also have no time for the people who think Halloween 18 is bad because of pre-determined reasons, whether they be trailers or their own prejudices.
That said, Halloween 18 isn't a perfect movie by ANY means and I have no problems with someone disliking it because of what it IS...because it IS a movie where the main relationship is a little muddled. The filmmakers clearly wanted to do away with all the sibling stuff, and the Strodes being an overbearing presence on the series...and yet they don't. They also want to play up the relationship between Michael and Laurie and the Strodes in general, and it's this weird thing of trying to have it both ways. (very mild spoilers for the Laurie-Michael relationship. More explaining what I mean than spoiling anything) It's a bit of a formulaic slasher, but BUT...that formula works. It works for a reason and when it's done well, as it is here, things like what I would have wanted to deepen the relationship and the story and such kind of fall a little by the wayside.
THAT said, there are some obvious flaws beyond the muddled relationship issue... And there were other little things that didn't bug me, but were there.
THAT said, Halloween 18 has the best character in a Halloween movie since Big Joe Grizzly and I don't care, my head-cannon says Big Joe is out there in this movie's universe and he and JULIAN (the little black kid who is FRIGGING AWESOME) are going to have a road trip buddy comedy movie that I WOULD WATCH SO HARD. Jamie Lee Curtis is really good, and the movie is basically an upgrade of H20 (though with a slightly less cathartic ending, but that's understandable considering this is meant to kick off the franchise again whereas H20 was meant to end it).
Like I mentioned previously, curious how it'll hold up on rewatches. I have a feeling my rating may drop, but for now I'm at a 4/5.