The enduring saga of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers that's span the course of 44 years with the iconic Halloween horror franchise finally comes to an end while doing so in a profoundly disappointing fashion. What began as a promising start to a new trilogy of Halloween films that brought back original series star Jamie Lee Curtis and director John Carpenter as series executive producer with 2018's hugely successful reboot, Halloween before it's momentum stalled and took a downward spiral with Halloween Kills. Now four years after the beginning of the new timeline of films, Halloween Ends arrives and brings the new trilogy to a disappointing close with an ending that's as confusing as it is infuriating for long-time fans of the series.
Taking place three years after the events of Halloween Kills, Ends has Laurie Strode moving on with her life and putting the finishing touches on her memoir with Michael Myers missing after the events of Kills. The majority of Ends plot revolves around a young babysitter named Corey Cunningham, who falls in love with Strode's granddaughter yet their romance becomes complicated due to Cunningham's past while also crossing paths with Michael Myers, who finds his way back to Laurie Strode with the two engaging in a final showdown. The plot for Ends that revolves around Cunningham would make for an interesting story, that didn't have the characters of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers as the face of the series. The main issue with the finale is how little it focuses on these characters and the greater emphasis it places on ones who aren't as pivotal. Ends gives audiences glimpses of what could've been a stronger cap off to the newest trilogy, and not a blatant betrayal to fans after the buildup of the previous films.
One of the films few bright spots is the effort that the cast puts in trying to make the finale work. Jamie Lee Curtis is stellar as usual in the role of Laurie Strode, although her character is painfully sidelined here. Despite lacking the screentime she received in previous Halloween films, she still manages to give a commanding performance. Andi Matichak does well as Laurie's granddaughter Allyson with her delivering her strongest performance of the trilogy with both actresses sharing strong chemistry. Rohan Campbell impresses as the films key character Corey Cunningham, who was accused of murdering a child while babysitting. Cunningham makes for an interesting character who would've thrived in his own solo film. His chemistry with Matichak feels natural with the audience getting a genuine feeling that both characters are into each other. The rest of Ends cast deliver notably strong performances including Will Patton as sheriff deputy Frank Hawkins, whose smitten with Laurie and Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace, one of the children Laurie babysat in 1978 and survived an encounter with Michael in 2018. As a whole, Ends cast makes the most of their roles with them playing their characters convincingly.
Directed by David Gordon Green who previously helmed the 2018's Halloween and Kills, Green presents the directing as being more focused and steady in comparison to his work on Kills. Here, he supplies the film with tons of blood and gore, with characters getting killed in brutal ways that generally consist of the occasional stabbing, strangling, neck-snapping, and suffocating that's been seen before in previous entries throughout the series. Unlike Kills, Ends feels as if it has more room to breathe with its story when it comes to pacing as the story presented is more character-driven. Whereas fans can certainly take issue with the path that Ends takes with its story, it can be acknowledged that Green's directing is steadier this time with him creating a mood that's dark and creepy like Halloween 2018. While Green is no Carpenter in terms of generating suspense, he also shows that he's no amateur.
When it comes to its writing, Ends completely falls apart with the questionable decision it makes with largely shunning Laurie and Michael's storyline in exchange for pushing Corey's. Billed as Being the final showdown between Laurie and Michael that's meant to put an end to their storyline, what's most shocking about the newest entry is how little familiar it feels in comparison to the others. The storyline for Ends feels like it takes wrong cues from Halloween lll: Season Of The Witch, another underappreciated film in the series. Laurie's character plays second fiddle to Corey's with Michael Myers barely utilized in the film besides a handful of scenes leading up to his final confrontation with Laurie. Not to mention that he also appears significantly weaker in comparison to the super-strength he displayed in Kills. Another issue is how unphased Strode's character appears to be after her daughter Karen (Played by Judy Greer) fell victim to Myers. Her character is shown to be more upbeat given the fact and wanting to participate in Halloween festivities rather than be traumatized at the fact that her daughter was killed by Myers whose still at large. Other characters including Will Patton's Sheriff Hawkins and Lindsay both feel underused here after playing key roles in both Halloween and Kills. With Ends scriptwriting, the most shocking aspect of it is how little it aims to bring a fitting closure to Laurie and Michael story with it being completely unfocused.
When looking at the newest Halloween trilogy, fans of the franchise will ponder over its lost potential as it nearly got things right but ultimately should've remained just a solo film with the 2018 sequel. Given that this is Jamie Lee Curtis final appearance in the series, it's heartbreaking to see this is how she goes. Though most will find disappointment here, they should remember that the series did get a proper send-off originally with Halloween H20 which although not perfect, provided closure to Laurie Strode's arc and the whole brother and sister angle between her and Myers. Fans should instead revisit that film and forget that any Halloween films were made afterwards
Final Verdict: Skip It and rewatch Halloween 1978, Halloween ll, and Halloween H20. It's the best timeline for the series and completes the Laurie Strode trilogy.
Images Courtesy Of Universal Pictures.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
No comments:
Post a Comment