She's All That (1999)

 

So in this round in The Teen Classic Literature brigade, we have She's All That, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and George Cukor's My Fair Lady, which starred Audrey Hepburn. Although I had fond memories of watching this during my childhood, I can't help but say that this movie hasn't really aged very well along with some problematic tropes that I'll point out later in the review. Sure, I was still entertained, no problems there but, in hindsight, the movie isn't that great. However, there is some potential if it had a better script. 

Believe or not, this is a tale as old as time. It dates back to Greek Mythology, which tells the story of Pygmalion, a legendary figure of Cyprus, who fell in love with the statue he carved. The origin of Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion came from British playwright W.S. Gilbert's Pygmalion and Galatea. This along with basing the character Eliza Dolittle on a local flower girl, George Bernard Shaw debuted his play Pygmalion, at Hoftburg Theatre to great success and have since opened from London to New York during the mid 1910s. 

There was a film version in 1938 penned by George Bernard Shaw himself and starring Leslie Howard, best known as Ashely from Gone With The Wind, as the role of Professor Higgins. But I think people are more familiar with the 1956 Broadway version, My Fair Lady and it's 1964 film version. The role of Eliza Dolittle was originated by Julie Andrews, a Disney favorite of mine, but in the film version the studios decided to cast Audrey Hepburn because she was the bigger star. There was this huge controversy surrounding the film because the filmmakers dubbed over Audrey Hepburn's singing voice as opposed to casting Julie Andrews who can actually sing. But that's not the real topic at hand here. Anywho...

Some thirty-odd some years later, after the success of Clueless and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, Miramax Films had the idea to adapt Pygmalion and My Fair Lady into a modern teen rom-com with Robert Iscove attach to direct. And here we have She's All That. 

So the premise of these three movies always involves a bet. There is always a girl involves with these so-called bets and that's what sets the plot in motion. 

So the story starts off like this: Big Man on Campus Zach Siler have just broken up with his girlfriend Mean Girl Taylor Vaughn. Anxious to find a prom date and not look like a complete doofus in the entire school, Zack makes a bet with his fellow Jerk Jock buddy Dean to make the most unappealing girl into a prom queen. They eventually spot fellow high school "outcast", Laney Boogs as a potential candidate. Zach is reluctant at first, but he gives in and tags Laney along. But when Laney gets that "magical" makeover and Zack sees her as a real person and not just some plaything, romance ensues. Da Da Di Da Day Dum, I've heard this song before. As you can see, the premise is very cliche and very predictable, so there's really not much to elaborate on but let's focus on the characters, shall we?

I’d classify Zack Siler as a Vanilla Protagonist. This protagonist is exceptionally ordinary when contrasted with the more interesting and distinctive supporting cast. Sure, Zack is the guy that every girl wants and every guy wants to be, but he lacks depth. His character development probably involves the struggles of maintaining perfection and pleasing his father, but his personal difficulties remain underexplored.

The art performance scene is a demonstration of that, but I still wanted more. Maybe there should’ve been more scenes with him and his dad to give off more of their dynamic. Zack mentions to Laney that his father has always pressured him to go to Dartmouth, but Zack feels torn because he’s thinking of other options. 

Throughout the film, his dad only has at least two scenes with him. If there were more scenes of his dad showing signals he should join Dartmouth or Zack showing interest in art like Laney, maybe there could be a semblance of development that the character lacked.

 Besides Zack being a bland main character, Freddie Prinze Jr. did a surprisingly decent performance without phoning it in. He has the natural charisma of a romantic leading man to where he actually made Zack bearable, and despite the script being rather pedestrian, Freddie Prinze Jr. pulled through just fine. 

Now we get to Laney Boogs, who's a lot much more of interesting main character than Zack. She is perceived as the School Freak but, in my eyes, she's a normal teenage girl. It does show that she has somewhat of a social life, having one best friend and is part of an ensemble art performance group outside school, so no problem there. Then there's mention of her fashion sense paired with the painted overalls, but when you look at it through a modern lens, her clothes aren't half-bad either. Teenagers these days would consider her fashion sense cool or edgy. Lastly, when it comes to her appearance as a whole, she looks totally fine. Besides the obvious hair extensions, her skin is flawless, she's well-groomed and even one character makes mention of her nice body. As far as her economic status compared her more opulent peers, Laney is at the top of the middle-class food chain. She actually lives in a nice house in the suburbs. Hell, I wouldn't mind living there. So in spite of all this, what is really Laney's damage? 

Some people would point out that its not so much about Laney's appearance but its more so her struggles of opening up. If that's the case, then why not make Laney the main character? What if bullying during her youth and her mother’s untimely death contributed to her isolating herself? I feel like there's a whole like going on with this character that needed exploring but I guess the studio execs thought it would be too complex for teen romantic comedy.

So, Laney gets the obligatory makeover and, like I said, she really didn't need that much work done. All she needed was a trim, contacts, flattering clothes and presto! You have a supermodel in the making. But before I go on, there is one pivotal scene I like to point out in the movie.

Before Laney's "fabulous" makeover and newfound popularity, she has encounter with these two so-called goth girls. They make a comment about a dead artist and they make a suggestion of Laney killing herself so that she could be remembered more. This was less funny and more triggering for me. Back in high school, I dealt with girls like this. They pride themselves for being these outsiders when, in actuality, they copy the same behavior as the mean girls they hate. Hypo-critical. When you compare these two, the popular girls (with the exception of Taylor), come off like total sweethearts. Telling someone to kill themselves is one of the worst insults you could say. Sure, Taylor is obviously obnoxious and hate Laney's guts, but I don't think she would say something like that. It could be because the girls are jealous of Laney's talents, but still, was that even necessary? Laney has another encounter with the main girl of the two, who's drunk off her ass. Laney, being the sweetheart that she is, helps her up but the girl is an ungrateful bitch and insults her yet again. So, to get back at her, Laney does what any art prodigy would do....

This girl is definitely deserving of the clown makeup because she's a clown herself. I guess her partner in crime was too embarrassed to be seen with her. She deserves it, no doubt.

So once Laney rises up her popularity status after her face-off with Taylor Vaughn, she still stays the same. So, the inner character thing is still missing here. Sure, Laney gains a bit of confidence this time around but even before the transformation, she haven't had a problem with social anxiety. So if the script did a bit of rearranging, made Laney the main character instead to give us more insight into her insecurities, wants, needs, and goals, maybe the film could've been way much better than it is. 

Fun Fact! The name Laney Boogs is a mixture of two characters portrayed by Winona Ryder: Kim Boogs from Edward Scissorhands and Laney Pierce from Reality Bites. I definitely get a Audrey Hepburn/Winona Ryder vibe from Rachael Leigh Cook, which is why I think she makes a more effective lead in my opinion. She totally outshines Freddie Prinze Jr. by a mile a minute and I actually consider her to be a stellar underrated actress. I especially loved her as Josie in Josie and The Pussycats, a misunderstood classic that should be re-evaluated. But that's a story for another day. 

The real selling point of the movie is the chemistry between Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr. Despite the movie's faults, their chemistry is extremely palpable, and they also have this witty banter that elevates the material. Its without a doubt that you can't help but root for them in the end.

The supporting cast is stacked with a lot of recognizable faces from the 90s and 2000s. You have Dule Hill, best known as Gus from the TV series Psych. Gabrielle Union, who would later star in 10 Things I Hate About You (which I will get to soon) and the iconic Bring It On. And I had no idea that Lil Kim was in this movie. Yes, I'm talkin' the Notorious K.I.M. But I'm not done yet. You have Kieran Culkin (yes, that is Macaulay Culkin's brother), who would be best known in movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and TV shows like Succession. Not to mention, he's also a recent Oscar Winner. Then you have Anna Paquin who played Rouge in X-Men and would be forever immortalized as Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood. And lastly, there's Elden Henson who starred in a number of Young Adult films in the 2000s such as O and The Butterfly Effect and would later star in the Marvel TV series Daredevil. Fun Fact! Josh Harnett was considered for the role of Zack and Jordana Brewster for the role of Laney. Both have starred in The Faculty, which also starred Clea Duvall and Usher Raymond who, you guessed it, starred in this movie as well. Even Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar (who would also star in Cruel Intentions and Freddie Prinze Jr.'s real life wife), makes a cameo.

I think the one supporting cast member that stands out among the rest is Matthew Lillard as Brock Hudson who may or may not be based on Puck from The Real World. He actually is the catalyst for the events of the movie as Taylor breaks up with Zack after hooking up with Brock at an MTV Spring Break block party. Remember those?

The concept of Brock is still relevant today. You have these reality stars and social media influencers that have such an inflated ego to the point where they think they're the most important person in the room.

This is further demonstrated in the Brock dance scene. Matthew Lillard is comedy gold in this and I never laughed so hard. Although his appearance was brief, Matthew Lillard was by far the best part of this movie.

Now we get to the antagonists, Taylor Vaughn and Dean Sampson Jr.

Taylor Vaughn played by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, is your typical mean girl: spoiled, self-absorbed, competitive, and obnoxiously arrogant. The main joke of the movie is that she's not as well-liked or special than she think she is. Just as soon as Taylor breaks up with Zack for Brock, Brock breaks up with her out of nowhere, implying that Brock only saw her as a fling and nothing else. Then there's the incident at the party where she tries to humiliate Laney but it becomes a boomerang effect and Laney is just as popular as she is, and it turns out that basically half the school can't stand her, including her friends. There's another implication that the reason why Taylor is popular at all because she dated Zack. So, she tries to get back on his good graces, however, Zack has already moved on and doesn't pay her any mind. He even stands her up on Prom Night. Taylor is eventually crowned Prom Queen but the school could care less. There's also a funny bit where the school principal cuts off her mike mid-speech. So after that, Taylor realizes her fate as she sits alone on graduation day. In Taylor's case, her whole entire story arc highlights that one cannot indulge in cruelty simply because of their wealth and beauty.

 Then we have Paul Walker as Dean Sampson. This was the movie where I formed a major crush on him to the point where I almost forgot how despicable his character is. He's the one who initiates the bet with Zack but, out of pure jealously, he's the one who spills the beans to Laney, which prompts her to take him to the prom instead. However, he's only playing the part of the upstanding guy just so he could have his way with Laney then dump her. He boasts about this on prom night with his buddies and I like that they're not on board with his misogynistic bullshit and blows him off, which shows that Dean is a dumb jerk jock and everybody sees him as dumb jerk jock. Eventually, Laney gives the upper hand and blows a really loud horn in his ear, rendering him almost deaf. This all happens off-screen by the way but what really bothers me is how the movie plays off of what seems to be a sexual assault as light comedy. Considering that Miramax was founded by Harvey Weinstein makes it even worse retrospectively. 

Now it's without a doubt that the soundtrack is absolutely fire. I feel like it gives the movie a personality, particularly in the Prom Night scene. Fatboy Slim's The Rockafella Shank has been stuck in my head for a while and although it's impossible that every one of these high school students are professional dancers, at least the scene gives the movie a musicality to it. Then there's the penultimate song, Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer. It was originally released in 1997 to moderate success but it was this movie that made it one of the most recognizable songs of the 90s. I'm talkin Prom Nights, Graduations, Birthdays, and Weddings, this song will live on till the days on end and I'm not afraid to admit that this is one of my favorite songs since childhood.

Like I said before, the screenplay is unoriginal and largely set the trend for teen movies in the 2000s. I dare you to play a drinking game for every cliche that's been done by the book. You'd probably be in a coma by now. As far as the directing, it's fine. Nothing really special, just fine for what it is. 

In 2021, Netflix did a remake titled, He's All That starring TikTok star Addison Rae and Tanner Buchanan from Cobra Kai with special appearances by Rachael Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard. Now I never thought I would say this, but this remake was kind of unnecessary. It mostly follows the same beats as the original but worse. This was basically just a starring vehicle for Addison Rae and nothing more. I've watched some clips of it but from the cheap Netflix look combined with acting, I'll give it a pass. Not worth my time.

But when it comes to the original, it's definitely on the safe side. Once you turn your brain off, it's a fun watch, especially though a nostalgic lens but it's not a classic either. 

Without the two leads, the comedic genius of Matthew Lillard, and the amazing soundtrack, nobody would be talking about this movie today and even consider remaking it. It's run-of-the-mill 90s fluff and not much else to it.

My last word: Watchable but forgettable.

The Year 1999 and Teen Adaptation of Classic Literature

 

1999 was a special year for me. It was the pinnacle of my childhood and the center of my universe. Everything came to pass, and this was the year that set my path as a creator. From the music to the TV shows, and let’s not forget the movies. Oh, there were lots and lots of movies. Movies that are now considered all-time classics. However, there was this trend called the 90s Teen Boom, a trend that was inescapable. Holy crap, I mean where do I begin? Sure, there was a similar teen movie trend in the 80s made popular by John Hughes. But the 90s? Oh boy, the 90s were it! So many cult classics, so little time. Yet, there was a twist to this. The most popular movies I could think of were She’s All That, Cruel Intentions, and 10 Things I Hate About You. What set these movies apart was that there were based on Classic Literature. You know, the type of Classic Literature you took classes at your local high school. Well, to make it less boring to the younger crowd, Hollywood added a modern teen lens to the Classic Lit genre. This all started with a little movie called Clueless, which just had a 30th anniversary last year. Unbeknownst to me, this was actually based on Jane Austen’s Emma. It followed all the same beats of that novel, except for the modern high school setting in 1990s Los Angeles. Then along came Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, which is also set in 1990s Los Angeles, but the twist is that the Shakespearean dialogue is still intact. And it was this film, not Titanic, that I developed a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio. And finally, here comes the early eve of 1999. The year where the Teen Classic Lit Genre reached into the stratosphere. These three films were the cream of the crop, and without further ado, I’ll be reviewing each and every one. Oooo, this is going to be fun! So as it begins, I get to revisit my childhood and talk about the films that defined me as a writer of Young Adult fiction. With my bottle of wine and a special dose of the forbidden flower, let’s take a trip down memory lane... 

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

 

So, I finally watched the I Know What You Did Last Summer requel. Do you want to know what I thought about it? It sucked. It totally sucked, and I'm not surprised. Oftentimes, the original gets accused of being a Scream rip-off/cash grab, but this seems more like a Scream rip-off/cash grab. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, there was also a TV series, not that it's relevant to this review, but the I Know What You Did Last Summer television series came out at the same time the Scream TV series came out, which proves my point. This whole requel trend has been ongoing for a couple of years now, and although some, such as Halloween 2018 and Scream 2022, have been successful, the majority of these horror requels have fallen off pretty hard. I Know You Did Last Summer 2025 has no reason to exist, but the power of nostalgia persists, and here we are. 

The story is pretty much the same as the first one, only this time the main group of characters are college graduates in their twenties who just celebrated a friend's engagement party. There's Danica Richards, the bride to be, Teddy Spencer, the groom to be, Ava Brucks, the sensible one, Stevie Ward, the ex-best friend from the wrong side of the tracks, and Milo, Ava's love interest. Of course, on their way back, the group of friends caused an accident, but instead, they're hardly any at fault at all. Sure, one of them drunkenly stands in the middle of the road, but still, no fault I could think of. Their only crime is witnessing the person careening into the side of a bridge. The car gets stuck, and the group desperately tries to save the man, but the car swiftly collapses into a watery grave. And just like the first one, the group makes a pact to not tell anyone about the accident. It gets even more predictable when, a year later, at Danica's bridal shower (she's engaged to someone else now), she receives a mysterious letter. She opens it, and of course, it says, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. After a string of murders happens, including the Danica's current fiancé, the group goes to investigate and soon finds out that the perpetrator might have a connection to the 1997 Southport murders. They soon come across the final girl, Julie James, for help. I don't see how Julie fits into the story, but somehow, it makes sense later on when the killer is revealed, and that will contain spoilers, so I'll keep you posted. Once the group dwindles down, the surviving members must find out who's behind the murders before it's too late.

Okay, let's focus on our main characters, shall we? They're really nothing to write home about. I mean, they're characters in their twenties who act and speak like teens. It's really weird, particularly because one of them is about to get married. Not only that, but I find them to be extremely vapid, bland, and self-centered, with Ava being the only one I can get behind. So, let's go through them one by one. But first, let's get the lesser characters out of the way.

We have Wyatt, Dianca's second fiancé. Not much to know about him besides being a young yuppie type. He's the first to get killed and gets a rather bloody death scene. That's all I can say.

Then there's Tyler Trevino, whom I like to call "The Crime Podcast Girl." She's just a girl that Ava hooks up with on her way back to Southport, who's conducting some research on the 1997 Southport murders. The character itself is supposed to be a jab at true crime influencers who often make light of brutal real-life murders. I guess Tyler is supposed to be this comic relief as she talks in this monotone valley girl voice and even wears a t-shirt with Helen Shiever's face on it. However, the most idiotic moment in the movie is her death scene. Just when the killer has her cornered, Tyler says, "I'm a fan! I'm a fan!" Who gives a rat's ass if you're a fan? That doesn't stop the killer from killing you. This is the same problem I had with Scream 4, where a character blurts out, "I'm gay! I'm gay!" before the killer finishes them off. Look, it doesn't matter if you're a man, a woman, gay, straight, or even a fan; the killer's gonna kill you anyway. So yeah, this was a pretty useless character, and she outlived her usefulness. 

We have the very handsome Billy Campbell, who's aged very well by the way, as Governor Grant Spencer, Teddy's dad. He's the one who actually covered up the accident and dismisses the townspeople's claims that they're might be a killer afoot, which makes him kind of a morally questionable character. He eventually runs into the killer, and it's safe to say that he doesn't last long. 

Finally, there's Pastor Judah, played by Austin Nichols, mostly known for the long-running show One Tree Hill. He's set up as a red herring due to his close relationship with Sam Cooper, the guy who died in the crash. But he's promptly killed off-screen, which lets him off the hook. No pun intended.

Now on to our main five:

First, Jonah Hauer-King, best known as Prince Eric from the live-action Little Mermaid, as Milo Griffin. He's what I like to call a satellite love interest, as he shares most of his scenes with Ava. Milo is just there for the most part. We never get to know his family life or how the accident affected him; he's just the generic everyguy, although Jonah Hauer-King served his role well. 

Then there's Sarah Pidgeon as Stevie Ward. She's basically the female version of Ray; the generic everygirl with less money than her friends. She's a bit harder-edged since there's mention of her being in rehab, but other than that, she's a bit of a mystery; however, that kind of fits her character, considering what happens towards the climax, and since I've mentioned that, I will discuss the climax later in the review. 

Here we have the stunning Tyriq Withers as Teddy Spencer, Danica's first fiancé before the accident. He's similar to Barry but a little less obnoxious, though he does come off as self-centered and very full of himself. He does get better later in the film; however, his ego gets the best of him. 

Then we have Madelyn Cline as Danica Richards. Danica is a delicate, pampered rich girl, the type of friend who you always take care of and check on after they have a bad day. And Danica is going through a lot. She's supposed to be a Helen Shivers expy, but the problem is that the movie never really explores her trauma like they did with Helen's in the original. I mean, all her friends are dying left and right, she has a target on her back, and she just got involved in a terrible accident just a year ago. Instead, the film portrays her as this ditzy blond who's obsessed with spiritual wellness, and the film doesn't really take her seriously. Danica, in all honesty, is kind of like Rachel from Friends before the character development. She claims to have this divine connection to Helen Shivers, which eventually leads to this bizarre dream sequence where Danica has a ghostly encounter with her. 

Speaking of, let's talk about the Sarah Michelle Gellar cameo. During pre-production, there have been talks of Helen Shivers returning in the film, but it was nearly impossible considering that she was killed off in the first film. Even Sarah Michelle Gellar was confused. It's like these studio execs are so greedy to the point where their brains don't function well and won't even care to follow the events of the previous films they're trying to reboot. Yet try as they might, they wanted Sarah Michelle Gellar and, dammit, they were gonna have her. Okay, first off, shouldn't Julie be the one to have this dream? I mean, once you know that she kept having recurring nightmares of Ben Willis, it would be inevitable that she would have nightmares of her dead best friend, too. This would also align with her story arc of the past coming back to haunt her, and overcoming her trauma to save the new characters. But overall, I thought the cameo was forced, and it didn't make sense in the narrative. 

Finally, we have Chase Sui Wonders as Ava Brucks. One of the many qualities that I like about Ava is that she holds her own, is sexually liberated, and is quite an effective leader when it comes to dire circumstances. The actress actually does a good job here; it's just that the only problem is that she should be in a better movie. Other than the qualities I've listed, there's not much to know about her. We never really know about her home life, her occupation, or even her family lineage. For all we know, she could just be a socialite, living off her daddy's money. Besides that, Ava was the easiest character out of the main five.

Now, we have our legacy characters:

Ray is a much more proactive character this time around. He's not the guy who just hangs around or gets left out until the end; he actually serves a purpose to the story, particularly with the character of Stevie, who's mentioned to be a family friend of his. This time, Ray and Julie are divorced. There isn't any explanation why their relationship crumbled, but seeing how they were in the first two films, I'm not surprised at all. Freddie Prinze Jr.'s acting is mediocre at best. He's a little bit better than he was in the first two films, but he seems to be phoning it in this time around, and I don't blame him; the script doesn't do him any favors. However, Ray holds a deep, dark secret that will unravel in the climax...more on that later. 

Last but not least, we have Julie James, who has since become a professor who conducts studies on the effects of PTSD. Initially, Julie is a supporting character, but she takes center stage by the middle of the film as things begin to unravel. Jennifer Love Hewitt did a serviceable job despite the script's shortcomings and the cringy dialogue. I know most people don't really care for her acting in these movies, but at least she tries her best. 

The weakest part of the movie for me is the self-aware humor. The appeal of the 1997 version of I Know What You Did Last Summer is how straightforward it was, despite the not-so-great writing and mishandling of its characters. As mentioned, the screenplay is below-average if not outright subpar. There's nothing to keep my interest, and at times, it's a bit try-hard. It's not as clever as it thinks it is, and if it's trying to be like Scream, it failed miserably. For a slasher film, the deaths are creative enough. Although it's nowhere near as gory as the second sequel, they're still quite brutal, but it doesn't save the movie from being underwhelming. 

The worst part of the movie for me has got to be the climax. Oh yes, now, it's time for the spoilers.

So out of the main five, it dwindles down to only Ava, Danica, and Stevie. After discovering the dead bodies of Teddy and his father, Grant, Ray urges the girls to escape Southport on Teddy's yacht. But suddenly, the scene cuts to the church, where the police find Pastor Judah's corpse. As they go to investigate, they see a photo of Stevie and the accident victim, Sam Cooper, together, which means...

Stevie is the killer! There seems to be a suspension of disbelief because there's no way a woman of her size would do all these killings herself unless she had some help, that is, and I'm pretty sure there's a second accomplice somewhere, but let's focus on Stevie for now. You see, Stevie met Sam Cooper in rehab, and the two instantly fell in love. After Sam's death, she went into a deep despair and even contemplated suicide. But instead of killing herself, she decides to take her anger out on her so-called friends and thus begins her killing spree. Quick side note here, see how Stevie is supposed to be the wayward one with less money and status, yet she turns out to be the killer? I mean, knowing how the economy is, don't you think that's a teeny bit offensive? Anywho, Ava, Danica, and Stevie have a bit of a struggle until Stevie stabs Danica in the gut and throws her overboard. So, Stevie has Ava cornered until Ray steps in and saves the day. He pleads with Stevie to stop the madness, but she doesn't, which prompts Ray to shoot her off the boat. As Ray comes to Ava's aid, she notices a wound on her shoulder, remembering her first encounter with The Fisherman, where she gave him the same wound. Then it cuts back to Julie, where she finds a picture of Ray and Stevie, realizing that she used to be a bar manager at Ray's restaurant. Somehow, Julie comes to the realization that...

Ray is the main killer! Wow, this literally shocked me, but then again, it doesn't make any sense, especially when in the second sequel, Ray went out of his way to save Julie. It's kind of like if Dewey or Gale turned out to be one of the Ghostface killers in the Scream series. It's incredibly jarring. And I swear, if they pull that crap in Scream 7, I would be officially done with that series and any other horror legacy sequel for that matter. But on to Ray. What is his motive? He doesn't want people to forget the trauma he experienced, so why not project that trauma onto someone else? Again, that doesn't make any sense. You know what, fuck motives at this point. Whenever I watch a modern slasher these days, I wouldn't mind if the killer just likes killing because motives are overrated at this point. By the way, who the fuck wrote this script? Man, it's awful. And it gets even worse when Julie shows up to confront Ray. The back and forth between them is totally corny, and Julie even recites the "what are you waiting for, huh? line. Give me a fucking break. 

So with a bit of a struggle, Ava saves Julie by impaling Ray with a harpoon, and all is well. 

For some logical reason, Danica survives being stabbed in the gut and thrown into the sea. Not to mention, Ava got stabbed in the shoulder, but despite their wounds, the two seemed to walk just fine.

As they have lunch together, the two just laugh and joke as if they haven't experienced the most traumatic moment of their lives. Then they make a comment like "Oh, this could've been resolved if men had therapy." Okay, did they forget that one of the killers was female? Holy crap, this script is shit.

Then they casually mention that Stevie's body was never found and she could still be alive, as if it was nothing. Hello? This person tried to kill you. Shouldn't you be panicking or something? But this is all just to hype up ANOTHER sequel. My god, make it stop!

After a brief credits sequence, we meet Brandy Norwood as Kara Wilson. Great to see Brandy again, gotta love her, but the scene ends up being stupid, of course. What could've been a cute, nice cameo ends up being yet another sequel bait. Julie appears at Kara's doorstep. How does she know where she lives? I don't know. So, Julie tells her that she received a letter. Kara opens it, and it reads, "It isn't over." Instead of having some sense of urgency, Kara makes a sassy comment as if to say, "Let's go kick some ass, girl!" Yeah, whatever, I'm not waiting for the sequel.

So that was the I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel. Yep, it was a pile of shit. But I will say that it's a hell of a lot better than I Always Know, that will always be the worst in my eyes. This one was more forgettable if anything. Plus, the writing is way worse than the original, which soured any enjoyment from watching this, not that I was expecting much, though. I heard that Mike Flannigan was going to be involved, and since he's seen as the king of modern horror, this would've been way much better than it was and actually could've matched the tone of the novel. But the studio execs wanted to appeal to the TikTok crowd instead.

I just don't see this as a franchise. If there were only two films in the series, I would've been totally fine with that, but these film execs try to make fetch happen, and it's just not gonna happen. However, the film was a moderate success, which means, yes, we might get that fifth sequel. Again, I will not be looking forward to it. If anything, this series is done and should be done. 

My last word: watch it at your own risk.