The Skulls III

This film went straight to video, here is why:

The film has the misfortune of following one of the worst sequels of all time. "The Skulls" is a well known film starring Paul Walker, and "The Skulls 2" was the worst explanatory sequel since "Highlander 2." Everybody thought this movie would disappoint because it's a sequel to a bad sequel.

Secondly, "Skulls 3" is a feminist film anachronism. The audience is ready for women in serious roles. "G.I. Jane" was a huge hit. No longer is a film which begs the question 'why can't girls play too?' provocative. The films feminist themes are dated and cliched.

Finally, the obvious nature of the script rivals daytime drama. The roommate actually says, "waddaya know? A sorority girl with a brain!" (when describing herself).

Do not see this movie.

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.

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

I admit the first two installments were good and kept your attention. Part three started showing signs of trouble. A female in a all male society club was a bit too much to believe. The story itself was a bit weak and the thought of a female surrounded by males could have gone a bit deeper. One knows off the bat that rape would be expected though not the case here. All those good looking guys not making any moves on her where they'd be protected seemed a bit pointless. This time the movie falls flat and just can't get the momentum going again. The cast is forgettable, the plot is overused and the ideas are all exhausted. By far the weakest in the trilogy and most uninteresting. I wasn't in to this one because they just didn't try to salvage this movie in any way. At least the first two used pride and honor here they just wrote and didn't really do anything with it.