"Something is wrong. Something is very wrong."
In spite of its general narrative link to Eli Roth's original movie and a brief flashback that earns Rider Strong top-billing, Cabin Fever 2 is nowhere near in the same league as its predecessor, which wasn't exactly high art in itself but at least looked and felt like a movie. Here we are in real bargain-basement direct-to-DVD territory, which makes the American Pie Presents... series look polished. The opening pre-credits sequence of the belatedly-released Cabin Fever 2 immediately sets the low tone of this movie; what it does not quite prepare you for is how the rest of the running time is painful to the point of being almost unwatchable. It seems to be aiming for an Evil Dead/cartoon-like quality, but instead the attempts at comedy are miserable, the dialogue is appallingly written (and delivered), the sound mix is uneven, the general level of prevailing hysteria is forced and at no point does anything in the film convince. Every character is a caricature, with performances which are mostly very poor. The gore stunts do show ambition for the meagre budget, but these alone cannot make a decent movie. Some DVD sequels (e.g. Wrong Turn 2) work within their budget effectively and show some ambition, and whilst enthusiasm is to be applauded, sadly Cabin Fever 2 did not work for me.
In spite of its general narrative link to Eli Roth's original movie and a brief flashback that earns Rider Strong top-billing, Cabin Fever 2 is nowhere near in the same league as its predecessor, which wasn't exactly high art in itself but at least looked and felt like a movie. Here we are in real bargain-basement direct-to-DVD territory, which makes the American Pie Presents... series look polished. The opening pre-credits sequence of the belatedly-released Cabin Fever 2 immediately sets the low tone of this movie; what it does not quite prepare you for is how the rest of the running time is painful to the point of being almost unwatchable. It seems to be aiming for an Evil Dead/cartoon-like quality, but instead the attempts at comedy are miserable, the dialogue is appallingly written (and delivered), the sound mix is uneven, the general level of prevailing hysteria is forced and at no point does anything in the film convince. Every character is a caricature, with performances which are mostly very poor. The gore stunts do show ambition for the meagre budget, but these alone cannot make a decent movie. Some DVD sequels (e.g. Wrong Turn 2) work within their budget effectively and show some ambition, and whilst enthusiasm is to be applauded, sadly Cabin Fever 2 did not work for me.
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