In this sequel to the surprisingly enjoyable 1996 original, Dr. Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) escapes from a mental institution and heads to small town named Paradise. Continuing the IRS sub-plot from the first movie, Feinstone assumes the identity of Dr. Lawrence Caine - an identity concocted by Feinstone so that he could secretly stash away his assets without fear of the tax man getting to them. Caine (as he is now) pretends to have retired from big-city dentistry but is soon asked to become the town's dentist after the previous one is killed in an apparent accident. Caine reluctantly accepts the job, but soon falls to his psychotic urges and another brutal bloodbath begins.
This sequel unfortunately removes much of the fun elements that were so apparent in the original. Instead, 'The Dentist 2' seems to be more of an attempt at portraying Feinstone/Caine's activities from a more psychological standpoint. While the lack of background somewhat harmed the original, the over-emphasis on Caine's madness is what makes this movie rather tedious. As in the original, there are some shocking, gory and repulsive scenes of dental torture that should please gore fans but, alas, the movie's pacing is so slow that it becomes a chore to watch. The movie also suffers from multiple moments of implausibility, particularly at the very end where the film becomes so abstract and bizarre that one is left to question what was originally established; this is not a good thing. For all the storytelling and plot-flaws, Yuzna's direction is on-par once again and in the few moments where 'The Dentist 2' picks-up, the movie does become exciting and intriguing. Unfortunately these moments are spaced far too far apart from each other.
Corbin Bernsen is excellent once again as the sadistic, and seriously disturbed, dentist. Without Bernsen's exceptional ability at bringing to life the character of Dr. Feinstone/Caine I'd have to believe that this movie would come off as far worse than it is. Once again Bernsen credibly and convincingly portrays the almost demonic dentist and relies very little on the supporting cast. Linda Hoffman also returns as the unfaithful wife, but the story which brings her into the film seems completely tacked on just to give her a role. Jillian McWhirter was surprisingly good as the sexy love interest for Bernsen and is the only character the audience can really feel any sympathy for. The rest of the cast were very poor in their roles, though one may question if that had much to do with the script. It was virtually impossible to empathise with any of the characters unlike the original. At some points it was almost painful to watch and one wished that Feinstone dispatched his victims much quicker than he actually did.
Despite a far more sadistic Feinstone character and some good effects and death scenes, 'The Dentist 2' was relatively dull and retained little of the charm that the original possessed. For fans of 'The Dentist' (1996) this film is worth watching once, though I think that many will be disappointed. Bernsen's performance is the main highlight and although it is easy to find the over-emphasis on Feinstone's mental problems an annoyance, Bernsen's performance makes it somewhat tolerable. 'The Dentist 2' is a slow paced yet occasionally interesting and generally well directed movie. My rating for 'The Dentist 2: Brace Yourself' 4/10.
