Dark Rising 2: Summer Strikes Back (2011)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Expected more

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Dark Rising (2007) was a dumb but fun fantasy comedy with ridiculous monsters and lots of PG T&A. With an unknown cast and WWE wrestler Christian it exceeded my expectations even though it still wasn't all that great.I never expected a movie like that to get a sequel but here we are and it isn't half bad. Following on from the events of the previous film including most of the surviving cast we have more silly dumb fun but with a slightly higher calibre of comedy.The sfx are still poor and it's hardly a well made effort but it makes up for it where it matters.Shockingly Dark Rising didn't just spawn 2 movies but also 2 television series which I'm looking forward to diving into.If you enjoyed the first movie I recommend this, otherwise it may be a bit niche.The Good: Great comedy character The Bad: No Christian, I mean yes he did die in the first movie but still Aftereffects level sfx Brigitte Kingsley is an unconvincing action heroine Things I Learnt From This Movie: If a car is heading towards you, just stand there with a gormless look on your face Snipers are up When hooking up, undressing and preparing to do "Bad" things it's best to have your front door wide open Always be wary of half naked women in the woods

I really couldn't give this movie more then a 5. The writing is stilted, the characters two-dimensional (if that) and the lead actress's primary qualities are...well... her primary qualities. She looks fantastic standing still with her mouth shut. Unfortunately her acting is awful and her stage fighting looks like a 10 year old playing "batman."The makeup is amateurish, but the animation is okay and the CG frankly is surprisingly good, mostly demonstrating just how cheap and easy basic CG has become.Over all it plays like a film written by high-school students, acted by first year college students and a porn star, with sfx done by mildly talented upper class college students. Despite all that, or maybe because of it, it has a genuine charm and appeal on the pure camp level. Sort of like the 60s Batman TV show.If you enjoy camp, then go for it. But otherwise give it a wide miss.

The previous reviews for this movie seem out of place. This isn't a blockbuster action movie trying to maintain any sense of realism. In fact it's making fun of them a bit.It's an obvious over-the-top play on science fiction action movies. From the lead character being some type of advanced humanoid species (See Alice from Resident Evil) with rather large assets to the criminals who couldn't hurt a thing if their life depended on it.The actors know how far-fetched and insane the film is and seem to have had a lot of fun making it. No, they aren't great actors – their "ok" acting ability is what adds to this "b" movies character.It's not meant to be taken seriously. It's absolutely ridiculous and that's what makes it fun. Remember that and you'll enjoy it for what it is.

Dark Rising 2 is without a doubt a great B Sci-Fi Fantasy movie through and through. Cheesy effects, pop cultural references and fun over the top violence and sex appeal. The story now takes more of a comedic spin on itself not taking itself really seriously and focusing more on goofy one liners and slashing and blasting demons with huge knives and laser guns. Brigiite Kingsley, Landy Cannon, and Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang brought a lot of new found humor to the movie. 'Nug' was without a doubt the funniest character with his portrayal of 'Bulo'. Surprisingly to me, I found myself really connecting with most of the supporting characters which is always a good sign of good writing. Dark Rising 2 seems to have a more clear understanding on what it wants to be and that is a cheesy B-movie about a girl in a bikini killing demons. So, if you're into a really cheesy and violently sexy movie Dark Rising 2 is definitely for you.