Lost Boys 2: The Tribe

A sequel to The Lost Boys has apparently been on the cards for a long while; and now, twenty one years after the release of the original, we've finally got one. Ironically, however, if this film were released without the 'Lost Boys' title, it would probably have gone down as a decent modern vampire flick; but the film has given itself too much to live up to, and it really never had a chance of doing justice to the 1987 horror classic. The film went direct to video, which is never a good sign and its cheap look and lack of original ideas ensures that it justifies this release; although on its own merits, The Lost Boys 2 is actually not too bad a film. The plot focuses on a brother and sister that move to Luna Bay after the death of their parents. The brother was once a successful surfer who got kicked off the circuit for beating someone up, and due to that it doesn't take the siblings long to get in with the local surfer crowd. However, it's not long before they realise that the surfer crowd are actually vampires and when the sister falls for the head vampire, the brother has to act fast to save her.

The story that the film is based on is clearly a direct rip-off of the original Lost Boys with only some minor character changes, although it is at least interesting. The direct to video feel is seen throughout, however, and this film never manages to capture the essence that made the original film great. Director P.J. Pesce does try, however, and does this mainly through bringing back Cory Feldman to reprise his role as one half of the vampire hunting Frog Brothers from the original film. Feldman's performance is a crowd pleaser and he has some amusing lines; but to be honest, if it was for the ties with the original; everyone would simply say he's irritating and unneeded (strangely, Jamison Newlander also gets a credit as the other Frog brother, despite seemingly not being in the film). Also in the film is Kiefer Sutherland's brother Angus who is actually one of the best things about it. Sadly, Cory Haim only appears after the credits have rolled. The first two thirds of the movie are really good; but things start to degenerate a bit as we get closer to the end which is a shame. Overall, The Lost Boys 2 has nothing on the original, but it's not as bad as its reputation suggests and is at least worth a look.

Siblings Chris (Tad Hilgenbrink) and Nicole Emerson (Autumn Reeser) move to Luna Bay after their parents' death. Aunt Jillian charges them $650/month to rent a rundown house. Chris leaves his address at Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman)'s trailer hoping to work for the board shaper. Chris is a surfer and he's invited to a party by legendary surfer Shane Powers (Angus Sutherland). Shane is the leader of a band of surfing vampire douches. Nicole begs to go to the party and gets turned into a half-vampire. Edgar tells Chris that Nicole will turn full vampire after her first kill unless they kill the vampire leader.

This is a B-movie sequel to the cult-classic 1987 original. It's an inferior product. The actors are inferior. The production is inferior. Surprisingly, Corey Feldman is a bright spot reprising his role as Edgar Frog. I like the transformation into the world-weary vampire hunter. The douche vampires are not as cool. The siblings don't have the same child endangering tension or charm. It's an inferior movie overall.

The orphan and former surfer Chris Emerson (Tad Hilgenbrink) and his sister Nicole Emerson (Autumn Reeser) move to Luna Bay expecting to initiate a new life without housing expenses with their Aunt Jillian (Gabrielle Rose), but she charges rent to the siblings for a wrecked house, and Chris seeks a job working as board shaper to raise money for the unforeseeable expenses. While in town, he meets his acquaintance and also former surfer Shane Powers (Angus Sutherland) that invites Chris for a surf parting at night. Then the siblings unsuccessfully seek out the board shaper and vampire hunter Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) in his trailer trying to find a job and Chris leaves a message for him. They go to Shane's party and Nicole stays with Shane and drinks booze offered by him. Later she becomes a half-vampire and Edgar advises that she drank vampire's blood and can only be saved if the head-vampire is killed. Chris and Edgar search the hiding place of Shane and his tribe to save Nicole.

I saw the trailer of "Lost Boys: The Tribe" and I really expected a great sequel of "Lost Boys", but unfortunately I found a weak reference to the classic vampire movie. The writer used the same storyline and introduced some gore, many naked or half-naked women (the stunningly hot Moneca Delain, for example, "acts" undressing her tiny bikini and having shower and sex with Chris) and a weird thirty-seven year old Corey Feldman acting like a teenager trying to repeat the success of the original movie. However, the acting is flat and there is a total lack of humor and charm in this sequel, with a weak Angus Sutherland in the lead role. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Garotos Perdidos 2: A Tribo" ("Lost Boys 2: The Tribe")

I confess, I rented this movie by accident. I thought it was the original Lost Boys when I scooped it up with a collection of other older movies.

When I realized it was not the original, I had hopes for something similar to the original (in quality) but I was disappointed.

The quality of the story line waxes and wanes. I totally get the parallel to the original movie, but the weak fight scenes and effortless slaying of the vampires left me thinking it would not have been difficult to do a better job of those scenes, had someone actually WANTED to present something better than what was shown.

One moment the vampires are demonstrating incredible speed and strength, then they are killed with very little effort. A group of vampires who "are capable of knowing what you are thinking before you do" are surprised and killed because they didn't see what was coming next in the mind of their slayer.

Yes, there were a few very attractive young women with very little clothing, and while that might carry a film to a certain degree, it wasn't quite enough to save this movie.

If I had to guess, they blew the budget on the initiation scene and had nothing left to fund a solid set of fight scenes.

Corey Feldman's performance may have been the highlight of the movie.

I am a big fan of Lost Boys from 1987 -- loved the humor, the MTV glamor, and the music. Humor, glamor, and excellent music is what made that horror movie good, I realized, after seeing this travesty of a sequel. I can't believe the same writers were involved! Personally, I could care less about gore and nudity. Seeing naked bodies is fine if you've created an erotic atmosphere (this movie doesn't have one). Gore I can do without. Whoever thinks horror is synonymous with blood and guts is operating in a different universe than I am. Edgar Allen Poe and other classic horror writers appealed to innate fears; they did not try to gross out readers. Spilled guts are sickening. They aren't scary.

Anyway, to the point: this movie was very disappointing. It has a pale, pale connection to the original and my suggestion is don't bother to waste an hour and a half of your time watching it.