Dark Rising 2: Summer Strikes Back!

Right, well I don't recall having seen the first movie, so I wasn't really sure what I was in for when I sat down to watch the 2011 movie "Agency of Vengeacy: Dark Rising" (aka "Dark Rising 2: Summer Strikes Back!").

But it being a movie that I hadn't seen before, and me having the opportunity to watch it, of course I managed to find the time to do so, despite the movie having such a campy and cheesy movie cover. I mean, it just felt like this was going to be a movie made by teenagers for teenagers.

Well, I wasn't in for something outstanding, that's for sure. Yet, I managed to actually sit through the entire course of this cheesy movie. And yeah, it was indeed a cheesy movie.

I will say, though, that it looked like people were at least having fun making the movie. And the low budget feel that permeated the movie was actually working well in favor of "Agency of Vengeacy: Dark Rising".

The acting in "Agency of Vengeacy: Dark Rising" was dubious, so you shouldn't set yourself up for some over the top Shakespearian performances in this movie, as you will be sorely disappointed.

As for special effects, this was a sci-fi action movie after all, well, they had special effects, and thanks for that. But they were not particularly outstanding or grand visual effects, that's for sure.

I am sure that there is indeed an audience out there for a campy movie such as "Agency of Vengeacy: Dark Rising" turned out to be. I, however, just wasn't really in that target audience. I didn't particularly enjoy the movie.

My rating of "Agency of Vengeacy: Dark Rising" lands on a three out of ten stars.

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.

Maybe if I saw the first movie or TV show first I would have liked this movie more but I really don't think so. It didn't seem like there was much going on that would have been helped by other details or back story. The writing and acting are particularly awful in this. The lead guy stinks, the lead girl is not a great actor but at least is very easy to look at (and not an awful actor just not great with stage combat which I'm guessing is much the fault of the producers and director), and the fat demon guy who is there obviously for comic relief is so over the top desperate to try to get a laugh he made me cringe every time he was on the screen. I hated this movie over all. But the other cast and lead female were OK and the effects actually were decent in my opinion for a lower budget movie. Take a pass though unless you have a couple hours you really want to waste on something annoying.

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

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.