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BY VAL MAASS
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Like so many sequels before it, Victor Salva’s Jeepers Creepers 2 cost at least twice as much as its predecessor but at best is only half as good. Set a few days after the original, it opens on the 22nd day of the carnivorous Creeper’s 23-day feeding frenzy. Bathed in surreal golden light, this initial sequence is probably the film’s best, as the evil beast snatches the day’s first victim and sets farmer Jack Taggart (a winsome Ray Wise) on a silent path to avenge his son. The film becomes a one-trick pony, centering on the gruesome Creeper’s relentless attack on a busload of high-school basketball players and cheerleaders. Although this tiresome "plot" features some impressive (read: expensive) special effects and notable acting (i.e., Nicki Aycox), the racial conflict and the gay bashing among the players seem out of place given that their lives are in dire jeopardy. On screen for nearly half the film, the Creeper lacks the menace and mystery that marked his debut — despite his grotesque appearance, his constant presence becomes more dull than daunting. Lacking the subtlety or the genuine chills of Jeepers Creepers, this disappointing follow-up will barely quicken your pulse. (106 minutes)
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