The Skulls III

Rating: * 1/2 out of ****

Here it is for your viewing enjoyment, the second straight-to-video sequel to a box office release nobody remembers. For anyone who's not tired of the formula flogged out over the last two films or hasn't seen them, The Skulls III should make for a perfect Friday night rental. In the end, it's still a simple rehash, only with a nominal twist; the lead character is a hot chick, not a bland-looking blonde pretty boy.

Clare Kramer stars as Taylor Brooks, a college co-ed trying to initiate into the elite, secret society known as the Skulls. The members are all male, but an exception is made in her case because of her father's connections. Despite passing the required tests and rituals, Taylor finds herself in a tight jam; she wakes up one morning to find blood all over her clothes and her boyfriend dead. No points for guessing the Skulls are setting her up to blackmail her father. As expected, she's not going to take this treatment lying down, and with the help of a few friends, she searches for any evidence that can clear her name.

If the original Skulls was an overwrought thriller with horrific leads (Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker, and Leslie Bibb), then the sequels are at least a step above thanks to more likable and charismatic actors. The Skulls II benefited from solid performances from Robin Dunne and the super-hot Lindy Booth (who's fast becoming my current favorite hottie actress); this second sequel stars the delectably hot Clare Kramer, whose presence alone is enough to sustain the movie even when you know it's all routine.

The first half of the movie is structured rather awkwardly, there's a police interrogation that leads to a flashback, but this segment is interrupted before going to the flashback again in a different location, even though the new guy asking the questions already knows as much as the person supplying them. This is truly dumbing down for the audience.

The second half is more traditional to the series formula, though a lower budget puts things on a smaller scale. There's some tip-toeing around and some close call, near encounters with the villains, hardly anything you haven't seen before and done better, even in its predecessors. The expected chase scene is more perfunctory than ever, it's basically a middle-aged guy chasing after a fit, young woman down a few steps before she kicks his ass.

And while this has always been a thriller cliché, ever since Pitch Black, it's become more popular than ever for a movie to present us with characters who turn out not to be whom they initially appeared to be (PB and Unbreakable are the only movies in recent memory to pull this kind of twist off perfectly). Let's just say it won't take a genius to guess which of the male leads turns out to be the surprise villain and which turns out to be the surprise hero.

For all my complaints, I knew perfectly well what to expect from this movie and I can at least say it's always watchable. There may be no first-rate thrills or suspense, but the plot moves at a fast clip and doesn't waste much time getting from Point A to Point B. Best of all is the charming Clare Kramer, who's immensely appealing and a total delight to stare at.

It's rather a pity that she's mostly appeared in supporting roles below high-profile young actresses like Kirsten Dunst, Kate Bosworth, and Jessica Biel. There's no question in my mind she deserves to be a bigger star than all of them combined. The Skulls is a series that looks like it's going nowhere fast, but here's hoping it'll at least serve as a stepping stone for a few talented young actors.

I really liked the original Skulls. There were good actors, writing/script/plot etc. And I haven't seen Skulls II yet (I didn't know there were any sequels until I saw Skulls III was on TV).

Skulls III is poor. The actors are fine, but the plot is so easy to predict. There's no suspense. No surprises. And I'd almost call Skulls III slow most of the time.

Skulls III certainly gives you nothing worth watching for 2 hours. You'd be better off renting/watching the original Skulls again, than to watch this version.

If they plan to make a Skulls IV, bring back the writers and director types which made Skulls (I) a success.

Death is nothing but a survival from this tricky world.No matter what anyone says I think this film is worth watching. Bryce acts as a perfect actor and a girl's real power is shown.Wrong impressions about the weakness of women have to be disappeared and this film may help those kind of thought's owners to change their ideas. After this film I am a fan of (not Steve's) Bryce's and expect many more films from him!..There must be more photos and movies of Bryce Johnson.This is the certain idea of my friends and mine. Although I prefer sci-fi films more than watching these kind of thrillers which include less action but the sense that makes us believe in the doubts is even enjoyable in some parts..

I admit the first two installments were good and kept your attention. Part three started showing signs of trouble. A female in a all male society club was a bit too much to believe. The story itself was a bit weak and the thought of a female surrounded by males could have gone a bit deeper. One knows off the bat that rape would be expected though not the case here. All those good looking guys not making any moves on her where they'd be protected seemed a bit pointless. This time the movie falls flat and just can't get the momentum going again. The cast is forgettable, the plot is overused and the ideas are all exhausted. By far the weakest in the trilogy and most uninteresting. I wasn't in to this one because they just didn't try to salvage this movie in any way. At least the first two used pride and honor here they just wrote and didn't really do anything with it.

This film went straight to video, here is why:

The film has the misfortune of following one of the worst sequels of all time. "The Skulls" is a well known film starring Paul Walker, and "The Skulls 2" was the worst explanatory sequel since "Highlander 2." Everybody thought this movie would disappoint because it's a sequel to a bad sequel.

Secondly, "Skulls 3" is a feminist film anachronism. The audience is ready for women in serious roles. "G.I. Jane" was a huge hit. No longer is a film which begs the question 'why can't girls play too?' provocative. The films feminist themes are dated and cliched.

Finally, the obvious nature of the script rivals daytime drama. The roommate actually says, "waddaya know? A sorority girl with a brain!" (when describing herself).

Do not see this movie.