The original Candyman movie, or perhaps I should say, "first" Candyman movie, as Candyman (2021) is both a sequel and a reboot, was, as I remember it, both kind of messy, and extremely effective. There are images and scenes in it that I can still remember, even after only seeing it once, when it was originally released in 1992.
But it seems those few moments are really all I remembered about that first film, as specifics of the plot, which is, thankfully, recapped within this new film, were a complete mystery to me. I hadn't read any reviews that said it was worth watching the first film before seeing this new one, but I'm here to say, it really is, as I think so much of what this new one has to say is shaped by both the story in that first Candyman, and its dynamics as a horror movie about Black horror and urban legend centered on a white woman.
All that said, I don't think Candyman (2021) works entirely as social commentary and horror. It's probably a bit more effective at the social commentary, because I think the internal story logic of the Candyman--how he appears, who he kills, why he kills--doesn't completely gel. But perhaps it's just a movie that needs to be seen more than once, which is pretty easy to do, as it is available on Prime Video.
No comments:
Post a Comment