As a direct-to-video prequel to the 1999 original, most will go into watching this film with a lot of doubts. And while it does abandon a lot of the tone from the original to become more of an American Pie type of film, it gives a realistic setup to where we see Sebastian and Kathryn in Cruel Intentions. None of the actors are the same, but they aren't terrible. In fact, Amy Adams is quite impressive given the poor script. The only problem is that this version of Kathryn is openly evil and not as undercover about it. Robin Dunne, who plays Sebastian, gives us a more likable character, but provides nothing of the same charisma as Ryan Phillippe's portrayal of the original.
I compare this film to the straight-to-DVD American Pie: Band Camp. It's entertaining, but not the exact same. It's more aware of itself as a film, and at times feels like a Dawson's Creek episode--which it acknowledges once or twice.
Although many may not like the twist ending, I think that it concludes an interesting backstory as to how Sebastian got to be so wicked and conniving in the original film.
Cruel Intentions 2 steals a lot from the original, but also provides some more jokey dialogue and shock value--hence the American Pie type film. The jokes miss a lot of the time and are usually set up very blatantly.
The plot might move a little slow and it may be low budget, but it's not a complete waste of time if you're a fan of the original.
Twizard Rating: 59
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