Review of Halloween (2018) by 546 S — 01 Dec 2018

Halloween (2018) sees the return of Michael Myers and the retcon of countless sequels (and that one reboot). Essentially the new Halloween II, who would have thought it would come from in part Danny McBride and David Gordon Green?

Jamie Lee Curtis becomes Laurie Strode by way of Sarah Connor here, having prepared herself for Myers' return from day one. Its been decades and she's filled that with learning how to shoot, how to trap, and how to be a questionable parent. It's inevitable that this movie would get Terminator 2 comparisons, and in regards to theme and storytelling, its pretty well done. It even adds a further level with Strode being a grandmother who has been pushed away from her daughter so she can barely see her granddaughter, even if Laurie is certain she's right. There's something about three generations of women facing adversity and conflict and manipulation from the world of less capable and/or scary men.

And while we can mention the several examples, I'm guessing you're more here to find out how Michael Myers is handled. The way that he is is definitely the weakest part of this movie. There was something about the indie film sensibility of the 1978 version and its almost bloodless murders. 2018's Halloween feels like the bigger budget sequel that would be made in the 80s and that's not the best thing. Myers feels more like Jason Voorhees, killing more graphic and violent here, including a knife stab more at home in Friday the 13th 3-D. That's the thing with it being made today after the legacy and the increase of talent and budget. Halloween is made bigger and better, and in some places that works well, and others not so much.

Make no mistake, Halloween is still creepy and tense, but the threat of Michael Myers is now cartoonish.

For every great moment or callback there is a moment that pulls you out of it. Where the sequel can't ignore the modern update. It's the Force Awakens affect on the filmmaking of the original trilogy. Made by fans but needlessly updated and enhanced, full of cool ideas that forget the truth of the original.

And it's that Myers is pure evil, and he doesn't have to crush a face with his foot to prove that.