Segundas Intenções 3

Cruel Intentions (1999) was a masterpiece, one of those unexpected movies that comes along and truly blows you away. A modern adaptation of Les liaisons dangereuses it was spellbinding, but certainly a standalone film.

But Hollywood executives disagreed and decided to milk it with not one but two more films.

The second followed some of the same characters but recast and with a dreadful cashgrab story. This is a separate movie with nothing to do with the original material and is more a thriller with loosely similiar themes.

Starring Dawsons Creek/Final Destination star Kerr Smith it tells the story of two men who engage in bets that involve seducing and sleeping with women. Of course you have the female equivalent in there for good measure and plenty of twists and turns.

The twists however are very predictible and the "Turns" lack the intelligence or originality of the first movie.

Is this better than the second? Absolutely! But it's yet another cashgrab sequel that simply should never have been made.

The Good:

Has its moments

The Bad:

Not as clever as it thinks it is

Simply shouldn't exist

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

If I tried half the stuff in this film that they did I'd be arrested

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.

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.

I'm not sure why but I was just curious where they were taking the story of Cruel Intentions. Now if you haven't seen the first Cruel Intentions, I highly recommend it. Cruel Intentions 3 had a very good plot that could have worked and been a worthy sequel, but the way they went at it was all wrong. I wasn't impressed with how unrealistic it was with all these incredibly gorgeous and naive people around, I wasn't even sure if they were in high school or college since some of the students were engaged. It was just weird and unrealistic to me or well explained.

Cassidy and Jason are the new Katherine and Sebastian sort of speak. They are very much in love with each other but have a hate relationship as well, they play with each other constantly. Jason goes as far as to involve his new friend Patrick to play Katherine. But their intentions go cruel when they compete for taken ladies and who can do it first. Then they go for Cassidy in the ultimate bet of all and see who is the ultimate smooth operator.

Cruel Intentions 3, at least to me, was also very predictable, for me the ending wasn't that big of a shock. But I do like the plot a little bit, like I said, it had very good potential. Just unfortunately, the actors ruined it for me, not to mention how it was made, it just could have been better. But if you wanna check it out, I wouldn't stop you, just because I think it's best you judge for yourself on this film, if you're a Dawson's Creek fan, I think you just might like it.

3/10

After the dismal performance of CI2 the makers decided to release a third instalment in the series, only that it is straight to video this time.

Nothing much has changed in terms of storyline; the students are still very horny and place huge bets on deflowering one another, only this time round there is a few more occasions involving backstabbings and slightly more twists than the original. The twists do work, however, and makes the movie actually watchable, despite its lack of attractive leads and well-concealed sex scenes.. anyway that's what most people watch it for right?

The cast are OK, only the dialogue doesn't seem so fresh anymore, with much of it saturated with talks on how important sex is etc. nonetheless it is still enjoyable, and worth 6/10.