Review of Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995) by Filipeneto — 27 Dec 2020

The third film in the franchise was the last to be released to the cinema and was the last to have anything to do with the first film. The plot revolves around two brothers from Gatlin who are adopted by a family from Chicago, where they will start a new life in an environment they are not used to: the big city.

Of course ... the film is full of clichés, with one brother adapting wonderfully to the city and new urban life, and the other brother remaining clinging to the backward and strange customs he brought from the countryside, and trying to replicate the sect from Gatlin, event planting a new corn field in the ruins of an abandoned factory. Aside from that, the script does a pretty decent job and the film works reasonably. Personally, I thought the idea of situating the film in the city was very good, and the corn field at the factory sounds original and is well integrated into the plot. The ending is intense, but strange and the hideous creature that appears out of nowhere is histrionic and unbelievable.

The cast meets our expectations and does a decent job, but without brilliance. Ron Melendez and Daniel Cerny do a very fair job and are the only actors to receive quality material and to have their characters developed. The children's cast is there by necessity, including Charlize Theron, who is a mere extra here. In the adult cast, I think Jim Metzler, Michael Ensign and Nancy Grahn deserve a positive mention.

Comparing this film to the two predecessors seems a difficult task, especially if we take into account the direct predecessor in the franchise, which was disastrous in almost everything that it could be. This film has more improved technical values and has a more cinematic look than "Final Sacrifice". Cinematography is quite decent, within what could be expected, and the sets and costumes are as well. The special effects, however, vary a lot over the course of the film, with small effects to be brilliantly executed while others, more challenging and spectacular, are poor in comparison. This is the case, specifically, of the monster, which looks like a puppet. It's not a bloody movie, but it does have a number of impressive scenes.