Wishmaster 2

A new twist to the Wishmaster story in that the Djinn must gather 1000 souls before granting the waker the three wishes. Andrew Divoff returns as the Djinn which is a perfect role for him. Divoff looks so evil with the voice to go along with it. When granting a wish, his reply is an unemotional "done" which can cut right to the hearts of many people that make a wish. In the first film the waker was a likeable woman but in this one it is a woman that kills when committing robbery. Someone that is not likely a person that can defeat the Djinn. She enlists the help of a priest which was her one good choice in life. The Djinn goes into a prison for 200 souls. Where can a Djinn get another 800 souls? A place where people wish for something that they don't have. A place that people are so concerned about wishing that they do not realize that their soul is now required? This place is so logical that when you realize it, it becomes a place where you better not wish. Who knows if an evil Djinn is waiting for you?

I have seen the 1999 movie "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies" maybe three or four times now. And I have to say that the movie sort of pales in comparison to the 1997 first "Wishmaster" movie.

Sure, it was nice to see Andrew Divoff return to reprise the role of the djinn, and he still does bring a lot of wicked charm and dark humor to the character. He actually makes the djinn character very memorable.

However, the storyline in "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies", as written by Peter Atkins and Jack Sholder, just sort of never gets up into a thrilling pace. The movie sort of trots on monotonously throughout the course of the 96 minutes that it runs for. And it is a shame, because there are some fair enough scenes and moments here and there. But hey, it is still a watchable movie, just don't expect it to be on the same level as the 1997 "Wishmaster" movie.

The acting performances in "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies" are fairly okay. This was, again, Andrew Divoff's movie, hands down. But the movie also have the likes of Paul Johansson, Robert LaSardo and Tom Lister Jr. On the cast list, so there are some familiar faces.

Visually then "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies" was a mixed bag of nuts. Generally, the special effects in the movie are good, and I liked the effects in the movie, because they certainly helped to keep the otherwise bland storyline afloat. And then there was the scene with the insects in the casino. That was seriously the worst CGI I have ever seen, as in ever. You have to see how abysmally bad it is to believe it.

While we are on the effects, then I have to say that the wishmaster costume and appearance in "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies" is really great. I like how much we get to see of the djinn creature throughout the entire movie. Lots of nice details to the costume, and the creature design is just fantastic.

Watchable for what it is, as Divoff makes it bearable to sit through. But "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies" was not a masterpiece.

My rating of director Jack Sholder's 1999 "Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies" movie lands on a five out of ten stars.

Campy, Tongue-In-Cheek sequel brings back the Wishmaster from the '97 original. Remains entertaining enough from beginning to end, and has a wider sense of humour, with campy situations replacing the original's gore. Andrew Divoff's performance as the Wishmaster is a must see, he alone makes the film worthwhile.

***

Wishmaster 2 was very good for it to be a straight to home video sequel to a theatrically released first movie in a series. It really surprised me. I thought it was going to suck, because the first one was so good. Anyway, this film has more great death scenes as the first one. If you liked Wishmaster then you'll love Wishmaster 2. It captures the same elements that part one did. Though it is not as excellent as part one, it surely aims up there and almost hits the mark like the first one did. A must see.

Andrew Divoff reprises his role as The Wishmaster in this sequel . He once again gives a great performance . The rest of the cast is fairly forgetable though.

The main problem with this sequel is that it has a very low budget so while some of the effects work well alot of them just look too cheap to be convincing . Recommended only because of Andrew's great performance.