Review of The Craft (1996) by Robert B — 04 Sep 2013

The Craft (Andrew Fleming, 1996).

[originally posted 22Feb2000].

I'll watch Fairuza Balk in anything. I'll watch Robin Tunney in even more anything. I've been told by many wiccan-type friends that the reason this movie has become such an underground hit (aside from Balk's trademark-goth style of dress) is that the spellcasting, etc., is pretty much accurate. Okay, that's all well and good, and again we've got a good ensemble cast backing up the lead foursome, we've got a half-decent plot (imagine the vagaries of high school friendship when magic is involved!), and this time we actually have a script that works well. But for some reason, it doesn't all gel correctly. The Balk/Tunney chemistry-- and you do need chemistry, even in a rivalry-- never really gets off the ground. Skeet Ulrich, at least in this film, is utterly talentless. Worth a buck movie rental if you feel like staring at Balk and Tunney, but you can do more of both in American History X (and we all know how I feel about that one) and End of Days (which is worth a buck rental for a memorable Tunney scene... though only that scene) respectively. **.