The Skulls III

Rating: * 1/2 out of ****

Here it is for your viewing enjoyment, the second straight-to-video sequel to a box office release nobody remembers. For anyone who's not tired of the formula flogged out over the last two films or hasn't seen them, The Skulls III should make for a perfect Friday night rental. In the end, it's still a simple rehash, only with a nominal twist; the lead character is a hot chick, not a bland-looking blonde pretty boy.

Clare Kramer stars as Taylor Brooks, a college co-ed trying to initiate into the elite, secret society known as the Skulls. The members are all male, but an exception is made in her case because of her father's connections. Despite passing the required tests and rituals, Taylor finds herself in a tight jam; she wakes up one morning to find blood all over her clothes and her boyfriend dead. No points for guessing the Skulls are setting her up to blackmail her father. As expected, she's not going to take this treatment lying down, and with the help of a few friends, she searches for any evidence that can clear her name.

If the original Skulls was an overwrought thriller with horrific leads (Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker, and Leslie Bibb), then the sequels are at least a step above thanks to more likable and charismatic actors. The Skulls II benefited from solid performances from Robin Dunne and the super-hot Lindy Booth (who's fast becoming my current favorite hottie actress); this second sequel stars the delectably hot Clare Kramer, whose presence alone is enough to sustain the movie even when you know it's all routine.

The first half of the movie is structured rather awkwardly, there's a police interrogation that leads to a flashback, but this segment is interrupted before going to the flashback again in a different location, even though the new guy asking the questions already knows as much as the person supplying them. This is truly dumbing down for the audience.

The second half is more traditional to the series formula, though a lower budget puts things on a smaller scale. There's some tip-toeing around and some close call, near encounters with the villains, hardly anything you haven't seen before and done better, even in its predecessors. The expected chase scene is more perfunctory than ever, it's basically a middle-aged guy chasing after a fit, young woman down a few steps before she kicks his ass.

And while this has always been a thriller cliché, ever since Pitch Black, it's become more popular than ever for a movie to present us with characters who turn out not to be whom they initially appeared to be (PB and Unbreakable are the only movies in recent memory to pull this kind of twist off perfectly). Let's just say it won't take a genius to guess which of the male leads turns out to be the surprise villain and which turns out to be the surprise hero.

For all my complaints, I knew perfectly well what to expect from this movie and I can at least say it's always watchable. There may be no first-rate thrills or suspense, but the plot moves at a fast clip and doesn't waste much time getting from Point A to Point B. Best of all is the charming Clare Kramer, who's immensely appealing and a total delight to stare at.

It's rather a pity that she's mostly appeared in supporting roles below high-profile young actresses like Kirsten Dunst, Kate Bosworth, and Jessica Biel. There's no question in my mind she deserves to be a bigger star than all of them combined. The Skulls is a series that looks like it's going nowhere fast, but here's hoping it'll at least serve as a stepping stone for a few talented young actors.

***SPOILERS*** Back for a third time "The Skulls III" has more or less the usual kind of story-line that the previous two Skull movies had with a bunch of young collage students running around the town at midnight, in one case with only their underwear on, doing all kinds of wild and crazy things to qualify as future Skulls. The only difference in Skulls III is that this time a young women Taylor Brooks, Clare Kramer,is allowed to become a Skull, if she can cut the mustard, and it's that slight variation that makes Skulls III watchable, especially when Taylor takes her clothes off.

Getting a bit ahead of itself the movie starts with Taylor being interrogated at the local police station about a murder that was committed the night before. Spilling her guts out Taylor tells Detectives Staynor & Valdez, Dean McDermott & Maia del Mar,about living with the thought of her brother's Sam, Toby Proctor, suicide and how she has nightmares about it. It was Taylor who discovered Sam's body.

As Taylor tells her story to the police we start to get an idea of how she ended up where we see her now, a suspect in a murder case. Taylor bucked the system by wanting to be a Skull and even worse she had her father Congressman Martin Brooks ,Ken Pruner, go against the the very motto of that secret organization that The Skulls stand and pledge their careers reputations and lives for:"A Skull Above Any Other".

As in the last two Skull movies The Skulls in Skulls III are anything but the powerful and omnipresent Boggie Men that their made out to be but a bunch of clumsy and incompetent boobs who can't get anything done right.

The core of the movie has really nothing at all to do with Taylor or her getting tapped to become a Skull, the first woman in that exclusive club. The film has to do with the goings on behind the scenes of big time businessman, Nathen Llyod ,Barry Bostwick, who needs Congressman Brooks' vote to get his company, Llyods Communications, to have all the telecommunications contracts for the US military. Congressman Brooks, a man of conscience, knows that "Llyods Communications" is incompatible with the US Army Navy and Air Force's telecommunication systems and would result in countless deaths of American soldiers if a war ever breaks out.

It turns out that Taylor's induction into The Skulls was a plan cooked up by Llyod to get her into a compromising position and use it to blackmail both her and her father to do what Llyod want's from him; vote for his company to get the military contract that would result in billions of dollars going into his pocket.

Getting Taylor drunk and on drugs at a Skull party at Llyod's mansion Llyod also used Taylor's computer to E-mail her boyfriend Ethan ,Shaun Sipos,to show up there in order to meet her about becoming a Skull. He then plans have him murdered with all the evidence rigged in order to implicate Taylor.

Predictable ending with Llyod using all his influence as a Skull to get Taylor's new boyfriend Brian ,Steve Braun, to entrap her by acting as if he's trying to help Taylor in finding Ethen's murderer. Llyod's entire plan falls apart when his son Roger, Bryce Johnson, finds out the truth that it was his father who not only murdered Ethan but tried at first to frame both Brian, in order to get him to set up Taylor, for the killing and then had him betray the totally innocent Taylor.

Being the jerk that he is Llyod spills the beans on himself in his involvement in Ethan's murder to both Brian and Taylor not knowing that Taylor secretly dialed her cell-phone to 9/11 and had the police listen in hearing what turned out to be Llyod's confession!

The movie "The Skulls III" looks like the final nail in the coffin of the Skull saga. With The Skulls looking so ridicules and brainless that no one with even half a brain would ever wan't to join that lame-brain organization again. The Skulls thankfully went out of business due to lack of interest in the fact that anyone in the entire country who has any amount of brains in his Skull would not be idiotic enough to join a blockhead club like that.

If i were you, i would skip Skulls 2 and go directly to this nice little gem. Clare Kramer actually did a decent job at this film, as well as the other cast. Normally i don't expect much from direct to video sequels of popular teen movies but this one actually surpassed the original in my opinion. Providing more interesting twists and turns than the original ever did. Not to mention the carbon copy sequel which really sucked. This one really held my interest and kept me guessing at an outcome.

Kramer stars as Taylor a bright and head strong young woman who is still haunted by her brothers suicide and her fathers growing distance. She decides that she will take up the mantel her brother failed to do with becoming a skull. But as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for. As Taylor suddenly begins to spiral out of control down a path of betrayal, jealousy and murder.

Unlike Skulls 2, this third actually spends time detailing the grueling process of becoming a skull, Skulls 2 skipped all that and just repeated the same scenes from the original, the only thing skulls 2 had differently was a breasts. And sadly Skulls 3 didn't but I'm not complaining the story was so good, i quickly forgot my horn dog ways. Skulls 3 has everything you would want in a good Friday night movie...except breasts but i think we can overlook that cant we?

Not a bad way to waste a couple of bucks on a weeknight.

The third and almost certainly final movie in the Skulls franchise goes out on about the same level as the other movies, namely watchable but forgettable.

This time the lead is Clare Kramer who fans of Buffy the Vampire slayer will remember as season 5's antagonist Glorificus (Glory). She's a passable actress, but as a leading lady makes this feel more like a Lifetime original than a Hollywood film.

It tells yet another Skulls story but this one is both original and really really stupid at the same time.

So our lead character is frustrated that the Skulls secret society only recruits men and decides to form an official appeal to get herself in. Yes.............she files an official appeal with a secret society! So much facepalm!

Anyway alike Joshua Jackson and Robin Dunne before her she learns that the Skulls have their secrets and yadayadayada.

This is about on par with the second film in quality, it's watchable stuff but not as clever as it likes to think it is. In fact it's kind of a blend between a Skulls movie and a Columbo episode.

For fans and folks who are really bored.

The Good:

Solid soundtrack

Barry Bostwick

The Bad:

Bafflingly dumb protagonost

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

A girl running through woods in fear as an opening scene is rapidly becoming the most tired movie trope

Three movies in, and given the choice I'd happily still be part of The Skulls

Honestly, I loved it. I am a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have seen the first 2 Skull movies, and when I found out that Clare Kramer was in the 3rd, I thought I would watch it. I have rented the movie at least 17 times, I cannot find it on DVD, or I would buy it. I have read some of the reviews, mentioning that it is one of the worst sequels. I totally disagree. I do not like the movie just because Clare Kramer is in it, I liked the storyline, I thought there was a little twist at the end. I loved how Taylor fought her way, and did research to prove to her father that she was just as good as the guys, if not better. They would have failed everything if it was not for her and I admire her character, and I also liked in the end that Roger had helped. I can't really think of a lot of things to say, except that I loved it, and that it is my second favorite movie, ever. (My first is Queen of the Damned.) Also, IT WAS WAY BETTER THAN THE FIRST TWO! That's my opinion.