Cruel Intentions 3: Il fascino della terza volta

Seeing as how beloved the original Cruel Intentions was, the studios decided in making a follow up the year after (2000) then several years later made Cruel Intentions 3.

Now Cruel Intentions 3 doesn't have much connection to the original (although they slip in slight references to Sebastian and Kathryn), which is for the better. Perhaps had this film been a complete stand alone film with zero connection to the original, it would be more well received and more liked.

The acting isn't bad, and the characters are interesting enough. A good thing is they made the characters college aged as they all look well of age.

The main problem is this film feels much more like a teen soap opera sitcom where it becomes predictable. Slightly confusing and at times boring going from one scheme to another. The end twist (not so much a twist) played out how we'd expect.

Yes this is another one of those laughers where a 30something (Smith) tries to play a 20 year old college boy lothario. That is a time tested Hollywood tradition, and not unexpected in a movie of this caliber. What really tests any semblance of credibility is the 'college' itself. Trust me, there isn't a real college anywhere this side of an internet diploma mill that looks like this one. What you really have depicted here is one of those $2500.00 three day weekend seminars where art history majors and trust fund freelance photographers go to get a couple hours instruction in Photoshop tweaks on how to produce fine art prints with inkjets, or something along that line. Lots of time at the pool, plenty of time for sex games among the precocious Botox and Power Peel set, and one or two hangover busting workshops looking at digital slides.

The only sex scene really worth anything is when the Evil Nerd does a quick and nasty 'back seat' style hump on a cute blonde one night on the grass in the resort courtyard. A little bare tit shows up, and the blonde's orgasmic cries are slightly above porno grade.

The real standout, though, is the cinematography. Through careful photographic site selection, grimy and tawdry modern LA is distorted into a rather appealing collection of exotic faux Mediterranean and colonial California Mission locales where the vistas are always bathed in warm late afternoon sunglow or hidden among cool, seductive night shadows. This city hasn't looked this good since Jack and Faye explored it in 'Chinatown.' Or at least since the soap opera, 'Santa Barbara.'

Rent this only if you want to see LA presented the way the California Department of Tourism might want you to see it.

OK so it's not as good as the original. But no one can ever really expect that of a sequel. But at least it beats Manchester Prep by FAR.

Although not as smooth and intelligent as the original, it has a couple of amazing plot twists and is truly evil at points - a guilty pleasure to watch. Not only that but at one point we find whats happened to Kathryn since the first one ;) Some of the characters are amazingly unrealistic, but whether thats a bad or a good thing you have to make your own mind up. Cassidy (Kristina Anapau) is deliciously cruel and manipulative almost up to par with her cousin.

Brilliant teen trash. If you're much older probably not going to appeal and if you're much younger you're parents won't let you watch!

This 2004 clinker is among the losers of all time. With the exception of the good looks and charm of sexy Kerr Smith, it's a waste of time, money and viewing. Glad it was on TV and I didn't lose anything except sleep. Smith is an eyeful in this with his brooding good looks and fantastic build. Nice to look at. Only thing that made me keep watching. But that lead girl, Kristina Anapau, was awful. With looks of a weasel, squinting eyes, thin lips overly glossed and ridiculous hair, she prances around in a bikini, mistake there as she's a skinny 's broad, thinking she can seduce anyone in pants. Wrong. There were far more attractive young ladies walking around her as extras that could have done better. I won't even ask how this girl got cast. I felt sorry for director Scott Ziehl and writer Rhett Reese as they didn't get much from a poor cast except Kerr Smith's performance. Kerr deserves better offers than this.

OK, i watched this movie yesterday hoping that it would be a better sequel then 'Manchester Prep' turned out to be. unfortunately i was horribly wrong, this film had little to no link with the original film other than Cassidy being Kathryn's cousin. unlike the first film, which i was a huge fan of, this one lacks any kind of storyline. the idea of a wager is thrown in for good measure but as an actual story it is a jumble and this film simply played on the sad male obsession with breasts and featured many sex scenes which offered nothing to the film. after the first film's excellent storyline and scheming this sequel falls way short. bad acting and badly written, much like 'Cruel Intentions 2' this one was a film full of copying though not as blatant as the copying in '2' it is still there. very poor film.