Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman

I had to write in and warn potential Jack Frost 2 viewers that the version that is circulating around in the video stores (the VHS version to be specific) is void of good gore content. If you want to see this movie, which I recommend since it is a good rainy Sunday night tongue-in-cheek fest, get the DVD version that hasn't been cut to shreds!! Then you get all the eye gougings, head explosions and crushed bodies you would hope to see when you picked up the ever so taunting box at the store. Simply put, the cut version is the one you will probably see, and it sucks because of what ended up on the cutting room floor.

Having already seen the original "Jack Frost", I never thought that "Jack Frost 2" would be as absurd as it is. Boy was I wrong! Then again, A-PIX movies have a way of showing unbelievably bad material, even worse than you might expect. I believe this is the first A-PIX sequel, and it may be an indication of what to expect in the future: more A-PIX sequels.

It's hard to watch this without laughing, especially during the later parts of the movie in which Jack Frost's offspring (which are essentially snowballs with eyes, arms, a mouth and sharp teeth) start killing people with the typical comedic dialogue and silly voices to go with it. They are shown both as puppets (with a stick underneath to move them) and as computer animation, which I have to say looks very cheesy. The computer animation surprised me, as the first "Jack Frost" had no such effects.

I'd strongly recommend that you see the original "Jack Frost" before seeing this one (both of which it would be preferable to watch with a group of friends) to get the full amusement out of it, and because it would make more sense ("sense" being a relative term).

Now only if there was "Uncle Sam 2"...

If you have been reading my user comments, you will have seen that I enjoyed the original "Jack Frost" movie. I thought it was a pretty funny black comedy. So when I heard they had made a sequel, I was set to rent it. However, none of the video stores in my city got it (knowing that video stores watch screeners, that should have been my first warning.) It took years for me to get a copy, which I did by my Internet DVD renting service. On the DVD, I saw that there was a 3 year gap between the film copyright and when it was released on DVD - which should have been my second warning.

Anyway, I watched the movie, and I was sorely disappointed. The movie looks like it was made on a budget much smaller than the first movie (if that's possible). While the cheapness occasionally gets a laugh (check out the "airport" near the beginning), most of the time the movie looks very tacky. Some parts look like they were shot on videotape and not film!

Despite the cheapness, I might have still enjoyed the movie had it the wit of the first movie, but it doesn't. The humor this time around seems very forced, with (among other things) too many lame wisecracks by the snowman. The script also suffers from having a number of boring stretches, a lame climax, and the movie having to resort to ripping off "Gremlins".

Is there anything good about this sequel? Well, I thought that there were a few decent splatter scenes, which managed to be gory and amusing at the same time. But they are not enough to make it worthwhile to slog through the boredom and lameness in the rest of the movie.

Any self-respecting fan of cheap flicks is bound to approach Jack Frost 2 with a certain degree of understandable caution. Sequels are always tricky ground in this genre, and when you're dealing with the sequel to possibly the most beloved "Killer-Snowman-Shags-That-Chick-From-American-Pie-To-Death-In-The-Shower" movie ever, (a hotly contested title, for sure, but I stand by my judgement), the stakes are obviously fairly high.

Being able to recapture exactly the same sense of cheesy ineptitude without overdoing it was always going to be a tricky task. Cooney succeeds in fine style, principally by following the established blueprint in an entirely new location. In this case; a tropical island. Natural stalking ground for a snowman.

Early sequences, in which Jack is represented by a puddle of water and a carrot on a piece of thread, might suggest to the casual viewer that the budget for this follow-up will not stretch to the dazzling visual spectacles presented by the original. Don't be fooled.. Cooney knows just what he's doing, and is merely lulling the casual viewer into a false sense of security. He pulls out his trump card in the latter third of the flick. He has bought a home PC animation package, and he knows how to use it.

Well, he doesn't *quite* know how to use it. But he'll have a jolly good go. Hence, inept live action effects are seamlessly blended with inept computer generated effects, and we're all set for a staggeringly poor finale.

Despite the somewhat misleading title, at no point does Jack kill any mutants. Pity. I'm sure he'd have kicked Wolverine's fuzzy backside.

Title: Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman; Genre: Horror; Certificate: 18; Year: 2000; Director: Michael Cooney

Starring: Christopher Allport, Eileen Seeley, Chip Heller, Ray Cooney

Once in a while, a movie comes along that redefines the way you look at celluloid entertainment, if only for a short time. When flashy directors spend millions soaking their movies with state-of-the-art special effects, it supposedly increases the entertainment value of their work. Takes flicks like "The Matrix", "The 6th Day" and "Independence Day". I can honestly say that the entertainment ascertained from all the above movies paled in comparison to dismal B-movie "Jack Frost 2".

Yes, you heard me right. "Jack Frost 2" is utterly dismal. It is a B-movie in every sense of the phrase, looks like it was made with an expensive camcorder and stars actors who could very well be your neighbours. But despite this, it still managed to make me laugh so hard I thought I'd cough my lungs up right there.

The premise of "Jack Frost 2" follows similarly to the 1997 prequel. In the original, a serial killer is killed in a car wreck, but he somehow mutates into a snowman and seeks revenge on the sheriff who caught him. The sequel sees a lab expirement go wrong, and once again Jack Frost's remains mutate and he goes on a killing spree on a tropical island where our unfortunate Sheriff Tiler (Christopher Allport) and his wife are attending their friends wedding party.

But the beauty in this movie is not the storyline (as brilliant as a killer snowman on a tropical island is), or the script (which although generally awful, has some humorous and very witty lines). It could be attributed to any of a number of things. Perhaps the memorably bad acting and performances. Maybe the laughable special-effects and settings. The complete lack of editing, direction and production also help make this movie unforgettable. And finally the injection of Jack's "children" - a blatant rip-off of Gremlins, but hilarious all the same.

Not everyone is going to view this movie the way I did. Some will probably switch it off after 15 minutes. But if you like complete and utter rubbish, this is as good as it gets.

How about "Jack Frost 3: Jack vs Worzel Gummidge".

Rating: ***