Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
Directed by Bill Condon
Viewed on Amazon Prime
After a generally very good experience with the first Candyman I figured why not follow up with the follow up to that film? Maybe the little issues I had with the first movie would be fixed and the sequel be everything the original could have been? I’m not holding my breath but hey, it’s always possible. So, let’s take a look at the sequel to the classic Candyman and see if it lives up to its predecessors successes!
Mardi Gras! I Mean, The Story!
In a stark departure from the Chicago backdrop of the first film, Candyman 2 takes place in New Orleans which means Mardi Gras, of course. Wow, Mardi Gras is actually happening while I’m writing this! What a happy accident! Sorry, I was just trying to remember what the movie was about.
The pompous expositor from the original Candyman, Purcell, comes back for the sequel! He is in New Orleans doing a book tour when he’s accosted by a very odd man, Ethan Tarrant, who claims some sort of connection between his own father and Purcell, who continues to play the role of pompous Candyman expert. Purcell tries to flee by running into a bar. Ethan follows and the two gentlemen fisticuff. Ethan is thrown out of the bar and Purcell flees to the bathroom, to nurse his wounds, where he is quickly murdered by Candyman.
The rest of the story follows Annie Tarrant, teacher, sister to Ethan, and member of the once extremely wealthy Tarrant family, as she tries to figure out what connection there is between her family and the malevolent ghost, Candyman.
Mild Issues With The Story.
And no, that isn’t the plot of the movie, that is the plot of the first five minutes of the movie. You can probably tell what some of my complaints are right now, but I’ll just spell them out for you. This story is bad. Really bad. I had high hopes that this sequel would smooth out the rough edges of the original, but damn, they just doubled down on everything that did not work in the first one. Explaining why so many things don’t work is going to be very spoilery and negative so why don’t I start with what I liked about this film so I can get that out of the way and THEN start really railing into it?
Some Things Still Work!
As with the original there are definitely non-story elements here that work quite well. Returning cast members, the pompous author Purcell and Tony Todd as Candyman, perform admirably. Todd does his best to maintain his air of noble malevolence and sucedes for the most part g. Some of the music is still good, Philip Glass credited for music, but I think parts of his score were recycled from the first film. While I can’t say that the cinematography is as good as the first film, there are some good shots and visuals, ready to surprise whenever you’re starting to nod off.
Good Ideas, Bad Execution.
Other than that, there are a few good ideas in the story, but they’re executed poorly, so I guess now it is time to get into the spoilery bits. Through some unknown means, the Tarrant family is linked to Candyman, and this link has caused the Tarrant men to become obsessed with stopping Candyman. This familial obsession is paid off with a twist that is as unsurprising as it is tasteless. It is revealed that the Tarrant family is descended from the child fathered by the Candyman when he was still alive. Because of this, Candyman wants Annie to join him so they can rule the galaxy together as father and great granddaughter (strikeout that last sentence) be joined together as Candyman spectres.
This Plot Twist Feels A Bit Tone Deaf.
The idea of someone struggling with anger and justified resentment over racially motivated violence and the wounds inflicted on their family is an interesting idea, and something that is very poignant considering how many different groups have had crimes like this happen against them. But that’s the problem. This case isn’t one of those. Annie Tarrant is a blonde blue eyed white woman who almost joins her great grandfather on a killing spree because of crimes that were committed against him, and the only thing that stops her is remembering that Candyman killed OTHER MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY. It is just a ludicrous situation that really bothered me.
Oh Kingfish, You Kill Me.
Also, even though the Glass score is still there, the atmosphere is completely ruined by a stock calypso music and a New Orleans radio host who narrates over the entire movie. This guy is called Kingfish, and he completely shatters the intense, dignified, and heavy atmosphere of the first film by making general statements that I think the audience is supposed to interpret as profound social commentary. , Why not add this pointless character to explain everything and poke the audience with a stick while screaming “Get it?!”? This character has no development, we literally see him once, and even then he does nothing interesting. I understand this is a small point, but it just ruined any atmosphere that this movie could have had so it really stuck in my craw.
The Sad Breakdown In Acting Skills.
Before we wrap this up I need to focus on one thing that stands out about both Candyman films: the acting. It was a pleasant surprise in the first film how everyone brought their A-Game, but here in Candyman 2, hoo boy, have we gotten a downgrade. Between the weird line deliveries and the completely inappropriate instances of scenery chewing (a.k.a goofy, intense overacting), there is not nearly enough quality acting to distract from how weak the story is. The lead actress playing Annie is for the most part okay but all the other Tarrants are just painful to watch, and it doesn’t help that dialogue is generally pretty poor, so even if these people could act well they aren’t given any material to stretch their acting legs, so to speak.
What A Sad Turn Of Events
That’s kind of shorthand for the whole movie though, the whole movie falls apart because it lacks both substance and style. . There are some good ideas in here but they aren’t executed properly, so seeing these interesting concepts come up but not be utilized is just such a waste. The change of scenery is interesting, but it feels like an excuse to explore the same tired standard New Orleans visuals. This is such a letdown after the incredible style, cinematography, and score that the original film had, and I don’t think I can recommend this film at all.
Two hooks down.
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