Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Die

Director - Jack Sholder (A Nightmare on Elm St. 2: Freddy's Revenge, Alone in the Dark)
Starring - Holly Fields (Arrow, Celebrity Deathmatch), Chris Weber (Watchmen, Dangerous Minds), and Andrew Divoff (The Strain, The Dead Matter)
Release Date - 1999
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Evil has been summoned"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sequels are such a touchy subject among horror fans.  Horror fans want original content but refuse to actually pay for it.  Indie filmmakers have been turning out original films for years but fans refuse to pay for it.  They would rather flock by the hundreds to theaters to watch the latest sequel, remake, reboot, or trend before returning home and bitch about it online.  Personally, I love indie films but I also enjoy sequels, remakes, and reboots of some of my favorite films.  If you are open to the idea they can offer up some quality entertainment.  With that being said, sequels have a lot to live up to and have a lot resting on their shoulders.  The first Wishmaster film had a lot of horror fans excited but ended slipping into mediocrity.  How would the film's sequel hold up especially after the original director and special effects master Robert Kutzman was no longer attached?  Let's find out.

     This film follows professional thief Morgana (Fields) who is robbing a museum when the security opens fire on them killing everyone in her crew, including her boyfriend, and leaving only her alive to escape.  She accidentally breaks one of the statues during the gunfight revealing a gemstone.  When she grabs it she mistakenly releases the evil djinn (Divoff).  Morgana has to partner with a priest that was once her love interest in order to stop the evil djinn before she loses everyone she loves and her own soul.

     I may be in the minority with this series but out of the first two films I have to say that I like the second film just a little bit more than the first.  The film still has its own problems but the CGI was not as noticeable as the first film and the kills were a lot more punny which is something I truly enjoy.  The acting in this one is not that great with the exception of Andrew Divoff.  Holly Fields and the remainder of the cast is very over-dramatic and reminded me a lot of the leads in a high school play.  They come off as full of themselves and the scenes lose impact because of it.  However, Divoff was great and brought out even more character than we saw in the first film.  He did a great job and made me fall even more in love with his djinn character.  The story for this one is almost identical to the first film.  We follow a young girl who accidentally releases the evil djinn who watches their family and friends die before coming up with a quick and brilliant way to stop him from killing more and ensnaring their soul.  Nothing new and almost makes this film feel stale when comparing it to the first film.  Finally, this film is full of on screen kills that are just as imaginative as the first film.  What makes this one a little better in my eyes is that the use of CGI is not as abundant as the first film.  The kills we get are brutal and work perfectly with the story.  They demonstrate some amazing practical effects that should make any horror fiend happy.  Overall, Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies is a solid follow up to Wishmaster.  The story is virtually the same but the kills do stand out.  Fans of blood and gore should really check it out!