Dark Rising 2: Summer Strikes Back (2011)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Pretty Good

Great Film overall

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Maybe if I saw the first movie or TV show first I would have liked this movie more but I really don't think so. It didn't seem like there was much going on that would have been helped by other details or back story. The writing and acting are particularly awful in this. The lead guy stinks, the lead girl is not a great actor but at least is very easy to look at (and not an awful actor just not great with stage combat which I'm guessing is much the fault of the producers and director), and the fat demon guy who is there obviously for comic relief is so over the top desperate to try to get a laugh he made me cringe every time he was on the screen. I hated this movie over all. But the other cast and lead female were OK and the effects actually were decent in my opinion for a lower budget movie. Take a pass though unless you have a couple hours you really want to waste on something annoying.

Dark Rising (2007) was a dumb but fun fantasy comedy with ridiculous monsters and lots of PG T&A. With an unknown cast and WWE wrestler Christian it exceeded my expectations even though it still wasn't all that great.I never expected a movie like that to get a sequel but here we are and it isn't half bad. Following on from the events of the previous film including most of the surviving cast we have more silly dumb fun but with a slightly higher calibre of comedy.The sfx are still poor and it's hardly a well made effort but it makes up for it where it matters.Shockingly Dark Rising didn't just spawn 2 movies but also 2 television series which I'm looking forward to diving into.If you enjoyed the first movie I recommend this, otherwise it may be a bit niche.The Good: Great comedy character The Bad: No Christian, I mean yes he did die in the first movie but still Aftereffects level sfx Brigitte Kingsley is an unconvincing action heroine Things I Learnt From This Movie: If a car is heading towards you, just stand there with a gormless look on your face Snipers are up When hooking up, undressing and preparing to do "Bad" things it's best to have your front door wide open Always be wary of half naked women in the woods

The previous reviews for this movie seem out of place. This isn't a blockbuster action movie trying to maintain any sense of realism. In fact it's making fun of them a bit.It's an obvious over-the-top play on science fiction action movies. From the lead character being some type of advanced humanoid species (See Alice from Resident Evil) with rather large assets to the criminals who couldn't hurt a thing if their life depended on it.The actors know how far-fetched and insane the film is and seem to have had a lot of fun making it. No, they aren't great actors – their "ok" acting ability is what adds to this "b" movies character.It's not meant to be taken seriously. It's absolutely ridiculous and that's what makes it fun. Remember that and you'll enjoy it for what it is.

Dark Rising 2 is without a doubt a great B Sci-Fi Fantasy movie through and through. Cheesy effects, pop cultural references and fun over the top violence and sex appeal. The story now takes more of a comedic spin on itself not taking itself really seriously and focusing more on goofy one liners and slashing and blasting demons with huge knives and laser guns. Brigiite Kingsley, Landy Cannon, and Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang brought a lot of new found humor to the movie. 'Nug' was without a doubt the funniest character with his portrayal of 'Bulo'. Surprisingly to me, I found myself really connecting with most of the supporting characters which is always a good sign of good writing. Dark Rising 2 seems to have a more clear understanding on what it wants to be and that is a cheesy B-movie about a girl in a bikini killing demons. So, if you're into a really cheesy and violently sexy movie Dark Rising 2 is definitely for you.