Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman

This time they tried to actually make it funny. They failed, but they tried. There are so many things that don't make sense but what would you expect? The budget is almost non-existent. They are clearly not on an island and every indoor scene was probably in the same building. At least Jennifer Lyons was in it.

I use the term bad very loosely, because like the first one, the sequel is so bad that it's good -- and that's the point! With the production values of a Cinemax skin-flick, shoddy effects and paper thin characters, 'Jack Frost 2' is one of the best bad movies I have ever laid eyes upon. This time around, we are on a tropical island where Sam & his wife Anne are trying to put the past behind them this Christmas. Sam is still troubled by what Jack did and feels a connection to him. No surprise then that when Jack shows up, Sam goes insane and Anne steps up as the Linda Hamilton/Sigourney Weaver type and takes matters into her own hands to find a way to not only destroy Jack, but his hundreds of mini-killer snowball offspring as well (that somewhat resemble the Gremlins). If you ever wanted to see a Snowman cry and get covered in bananas by a bunch of walking stereotypes, this movie is for you. If you liked the first, there's no reason not to like this one. Just curious though, what happened to Sam & Anne's son?

8/10

"Jack Frost" (1997) was a stupid film, though it was meant to be stupid...so it was actually very watchable and fun. It's NOT to be confused by the big budget disaster, "Jack Frost" (1998)...and if I had a choice, I'd much rather see the 1997 film instead.

For some reason, the folks who made the 1997 film decided to make a sequel...which is tough since the evil snowman in the first film was melted and stored in antifreeze containers. These containers were buried and some idiot decided to unearth them and revive the killing machine. This time, however, the snowman arrives on a tropic island where a lot of bimbos, idiots and the cast of the first film are there for vacations. This time, however, the snowman not only goes on a killing spree but later explodes into a huge number of killer snowball babies.

If all this sounds very stupid, well, you have pretty much guessed perfectly. The film IS stupid and never tries to be anything but stupid...much like many of the Troma films or "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". If you enjoy this sort of silliness, give the film a look. However, unlike the first film, this one has a bit of gratuitous nudity and the story isn't exactly necessary. Worth watching if you have relatively low expectations and low standards.

By the way, if you do watch, you'll have a rare chance to see Doug Jones without all the makeup that he's usually enveloped in with most of his films. He's near the beginning of the story and is aboard a life raft.

If you have been reading my user comments, you will have seen that I enjoyed the original "Jack Frost" movie. I thought it was a pretty funny black comedy. So when I heard they had made a sequel, I was set to rent it. However, none of the video stores in my city got it (knowing that video stores watch screeners, that should have been my first warning.) It took years for me to get a copy, which I did by my Internet DVD renting service. On the DVD, I saw that there was a 3 year gap between the film copyright and when it was released on DVD - which should have been my second warning.

Anyway, I watched the movie, and I was sorely disappointed. The movie looks like it was made on a budget much smaller than the first movie (if that's possible). While the cheapness occasionally gets a laugh (check out the "airport" near the beginning), most of the time the movie looks very tacky. Some parts look like they were shot on videotape and not film!

Despite the cheapness, I might have still enjoyed the movie had it the wit of the first movie, but it doesn't. The humor this time around seems very forced, with (among other things) too many lame wisecracks by the snowman. The script also suffers from having a number of boring stretches, a lame climax, and the movie having to resort to ripping off "Gremlins".

Is there anything good about this sequel? Well, I thought that there were a few decent splatter scenes, which managed to be gory and amusing at the same time. But they are not enough to make it worthwhile to slog through the boredom and lameness in the rest of the movie.

This frost-bitten sequel to 1997's surprisingly clever and enjoyable "Jack Frost" finds the titular killer snowman (voiced by Scott MacDonald) traversing to a tropical resort to harass shell-shocked Sheriff Tiler (Christopher Allport, looking like he'd rather have a recurring role on "7th Heaven" than do this again) and company once more. "Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman" is every bit as ridiculous as you'd expect, but is also even cheaper and dopier than you may be anticipating.

Opening with a title in the coolest of cool Windows '98 fonts, 'Chiller,' the chintzy look and feel of the film is established almost immediately, as if to warn you to turn it off before it's too late. Likewise, the cinematography is virtually non existent. "Jack Frost 2" has all the production value of a turn-of-the-century Comedy Central sitcom, but with hardly a fraction of the wit. Michael Cooney returns to the director's chair for this direct-to-video cheapie and although he tries to bring the same humor and energy from the first, it just doesn't translate. Just like snow can't hold up in a warm environment, neither can the original's charms redeem this sorry affair. Jack will try to make you smile time and time again, but his water-logged puns aren't enough to break the ice.

On the upside, the fast and loose feel of the production means that no one is taking this terribly seriously, and neither should you. Midway through the film, Jack sprouts a few dozen snowball offspring who wreak havoc on the resort, "Gremlins" style. These slightly entertaining bits, culminating in the film's deus ex banana (see it to believe it), offer moments of semi-inspired silliness, but by then, most of its cool has melted away. Take this one with a grain of rock salt.