Halloween Kills

Following on from the 2018 film, Halloween Kills sees Laurie Strode being taken to a hospital to deal with her injuries as Michael Myers escapes from the fire that he was trapped in. As Laurie heals, Michael once again goes on a killing spree throughout Haddonfield as he heads back to his childhood home. Once some of the survivors of Michael's original spree in 1978 learn about his escape and the new killings, they and the rest of Haddonfield form a mob to go after him once and for all. While I do agree that this sequel doesn't have the strengths of its predecessor, and knowing that this is the second part of a trilogy and thus feeling more about setup for the third part, it's still an exceptionally made movie that's far better than some of the other entries in the franchise. The writing between Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and director David Gordon-Green does a good job at making the anger the citizens have towards Michael feel natural, similar to the fourth film but with a bigger budget and more emphasis. It does, however, get rather repetitive with the constant times we're reminded of how evil Michael is or that they have to kill him. There's not that much that this movie adds to the series, just being a straightforward Myers kills anyone in his way story. You do get a few additions that at least do work well, such as showing how Michael was captured 40 years earlier, Deputy Hawkins's connection with him, some backstory to when Michael was a kid before killing his sister, the mob mentality getting out of hand, and Laurie understanding that he was never targeting her and is just another victim. What it lacks in writing, is made up thanks to Gordon-Green's phenomenal direction that leads to some very scary and spine-chilling moments. The best aspect to the direction is Michael's kills due to the originality of how he does it, the twisted qualities of each one, and perfectly fits the belief of him being the very presence of evil. That and the combination between Michael Simmonds's cinematography and much of the original theme with some new elements to the music by John and Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies also help in keeping you on the edge of your seat with your heart constantly on edge. With some returning actors like Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer and newer additions such as Anthony Michael Hall, every single actor absolutely shines. Though some characters don't really do all that much and are either wasted or just remind you of the setup for the third entry. Halloween Kills is still a fun, heart pounding installment but tends to do the same mistakes as any middle entry of a trilogy with tons of repetition despite its strong cast and creative kills. Over all: 96%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. No Time to Die

3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

4. The Green Knight

5. Candyman 2021

6. The Suicide Squad

7. Free Guy

8. Nobody

9. Black Widow

10. A Quiet Place Part II

11. Respect

12. Raya and the Last Dragon

13. Malignant

14. Halloween Kills

15. Jungle Cruise

16. Cruella

17. Wrath of Man

18. F9

19. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

20. Snake Eyes

21. Old

22. Space Jam: A New Legacy