The Hills Have Eyes 2 (Unrated Edition)
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Actor: Archie Kao, Cécile Breccia, Jay Acovone, Jeff Kober, Michael Bailey SmithBrand: Fox
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product features:
- Actors: Cécile Breccia, Michael Bailey Smith, Archie Kao, Jay Acovone, Jeff Kober.
- Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC.
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround). Subtitles: English, Spanish.
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
- Run Time: 89 minutes. Rated R.
DVD Reviews of The Hills Have Eyes 2 (Unrated Edition)
DVD Review: This is why the second time isn't the charm.
Summary: 3 Stars
Much like my review of the first THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake, I had already written a critique of this sequel before (back in 2007) but I didn't think it did the actual film any justice. Not that I think a movie called THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 needs any kind of "sophisticated justice." Since I love the first film (the remake that is) so much, I just wanted to give it's sequel a proper review. Right off the bat I'm going to tell you this movie isn't anywhere near the splendid expertise displayed in Alaxandre Aja's original remake. His film (which was made prior to this one back in 2006) was an amazing display of directorial craft and a perfect understanding of what makes a Horror movie work on all levels. Alaxandre Aja (who made HIGH TENSION and PIRANHA 3D) didn't have much to do with this sequel, not even a production credit from what I can tell. Instead we have Martin Weisz (who has made a few music videos thus far in his career) stepping in as director this time, with Wes Craven and his son Jonathan Craven writing the story together. All of the elements are there for a passable sequel (competent director, Wes Craven also being involved) but something holds this movie back from being on the same level as the original remake. Actually, a lot holds this movie back from being on the same level. We'll get to those issues in a minute.
THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 starts off on the right foot by opening up with an exceptionally grim intro scene. The camera work and music help set the stage right away, and the audience is ushered into a dark cave where a captive woman is giving birth in a very painful fashion. This scene is really effective for a number of reasons, the main one being how it's executed on the whole. All of the sound has been drowned out of the scene and the audience can only hear the muffled screams of the woman as she gives birth. Meanwhile, a brooding, almost undistinguishable soundtrack pulses away in the background. Soon, the woman gives birth to a mutant baby and all of the sound in this scene finally floods back in. Off camera we can hear and slightly see a hulking figure towering over the tortured woman. Without a second thought, moments after the baby is born, the mutant rapist screams "DIE" and kills the woman with a single fierce blow. It's a powerful scene that helps sets the stage as a follow up to the first movie. Sadly, the rest of the film is nothing more than a mixed bag at best. The proceeding scenes never seem to match this dark opening sequence. Some come close but they almost always fall short.
After the grim intro, the rest of the movie follows a group of under trained military soldiers as they travel to the New Mexico desert, in an attempt to bring equipment to a group of scientists working out there. This government operation seems to be part of the same experimentation from the start of the original remake and follows up after the intro to this movie. The only problem is that these soldiers don't know they're walking into a cannibalistic, mutant death trap! Almost all of the scientists have been massacred (in an equally gruesome scene following the beginning birth sequence) and their inexperience will soon be their demise.
THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 has the potential to be a decent follow up but it makes far too many mistakes along the way. When I first saw this sequel in theaters, my impressions weren't the best. I thought it was okay but I didn't think it was better than the first remake. I went to see it with a couple of my friends and neither of them seemed too impressed either. One friend agreed with me that the beginning was the best part, while another friend of mine thought it was a rather cheesy intro. To say there were mixed opinions among us is an understatement. Everybody (myself included) were such huge fans of Alaxandre Aja's original remake that it became impossible for anything to meet our expectations that day. Even when the movie came out on DVD, my opinion about the film didn't change much. I added it to my ever growing movie collection because sometimes a film gets better with repeated viewings over the years, but I didn't give it a second thought. Well, I watched it again recently (it's 2011 now, about three years later) and I would have to say that it's not nearly the horrible disappointment I thought it was before. Does it have faults? Sure it does, but they can be over looked if you're willing to just give it a chance.
Let's talk about some of those mistakes now. First of all, it seems like the director didn't use the same elements that made the original remake work so well. Sure, the music is there and the cinematography is in the same vein as Aja's film, but it's not used nearly as much or to the same effect. If you ask me, that's one of the main things that drags this movie down some. The pulsing score in the original film really helped make that a modern day Horror classic. THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 uses some of the same music but not nearly as much. It kinda' seems like an after thought here and that's a shame. Cinematography wise it has similar issues as the music. Some moments evoke memories of the first remake, but other scenes take the cheap way out with bad sets and some blatant green screen effects. I don't have a problem with these methods (THE DESCENT made use of some amazing set designs and green screens) but it doesn't make sense to use them here. The film makers had the whole New Mexico desert to film in. The use of green screens (which isn't much to it's own defense) is just inexcusable if you ask me.
Another thing I didn't like about this sequel is the characters in it. All of the actors do a good enough job, but it's Wes and Jonathan Craven's writing that makes them unlikable all around. The soldiers are just mean to one another and none of the cast from the first remake comes back for this sequel. I get the feeling that both Craven's had some political messages and hidden meanings they wanted to convey with the characters in this story, but it ultimately works to it's disadvantage here. With Alaxandre Aja's original remake, the political under tones were a lot more well thought out and subtle. That isn't the case here. It's pretty obvious the soldiers here represent America's "gung ho" attitude and inexperience when dealing with issues we're not prepared to understand or handle. I don't have a problem with political ideology being in a Horror movie (and I even agree with some of the political under tones here), but it does need to be handled with a certain sense of class. I guess Wes Craven and his son aren't the men for the job. Their "message" here is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face!
With those problems aside, THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 does have some positive elements going for it. For one thing, the blood and gore is top notch. Also, the make up used on the mutants is morbidly well done. They might not be on the same level as in the first remake but they're still pretty good over all. I come from the "old school" 1980's Horror scene mind set, so I can always enjoy "hands on" prosthetic make up special effects. The one's used here positively scream 1980's "Horror sequel", and in my opinion thats a good thing. I've heard some people complain about how the mutants this time around aren't very realistic and some of those accusations are correct. Some of the mutants are a little "out there" in terms of their abilities and mutations but that doesn't bother me really. After all, we are watching a Horror movie about mutant cannibal rednecks! Most Horror sequels try to top something in terms of scale and that's one of the things this movie gets right. Gore Hounds, check it out for enjoyable (if not a little over the top) death sequences and well done mutant special effects.
In the end, this sequel had the impossible task of following up one of the best Horror remakes in the 2000's era. It goes without saying that it will disappoint some fans no matter what. People these days are just harder to please and with everything in the world of entertainment in constant flux, it becomes difficult to grab the attention of audience members unless you truly "razzle dazzle" them. Considering THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake was so amazing, it's obvious that this sequel pales in comparison without a doubt. Nobody is arguing that point, but I do think some of the more negative reviews about this sequel are a little too harsh. After giving this film a couple of years to simmer down in the wake of the modern day Horror revival, I would have to say that it fairs better on a second viewing. It's not a masterpiece but if you're looking for a movie about cannibalistic mutants (and have already seen the far superior original remake), then you could do far worse than this sequel. Heck, WRONG TURN 3 : LEFT FOR DEAD and THE DESCENT 2 are much worse sequels than this movie is!
It's a shame really that THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 did so poorly at the box office, because a "return to form" third movie might have rounded out this series better. Who knows? Maybe we'll get another sequel in the future but I doubt it.
This movie does have another thing going for it. At least it's a million times better than Wes Craven's recent disappointment MY SOUL TO TAKE (2010), which boasted that it was his "return" to Horror directing in roughly six years! Considering he was one of the weaker elements in this HILLS HAVE EYES sequel (writer) and his latest film was such a bomb (trust me, it's beyond awful), I think it's time for Mr. Craven to bow out of the scene gracefully. Yet we all know that won't happen any time soon. I smell a new SCREAM sequel right around corner! Yikes! What's that old saying about letting "sleeping dogs lie?"
I've said my bit.
Hopefully it's been helpful.
Over and out.
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