Review of Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) by Jocelyn B — 18 Oct 2015

I have to say... I really think the critics were completely unfair to Urban Legends: Final Cut, the 2000 sequel to Urban Legend. I can easily imagine them seeing a sequel to a mediocre slasher, with such a corny subtitle, and not giving it a chance at all.

I actually liked it a lot. It's definitely better than I Still Remember What You Did Last Summer, and I liked it better than the first Urban Legend, too. I'd even say it's better than Scream 3.

The Scream movies get love for all the pop culture references and commentary, dialogue about the "rules" of horror films, extended sequences of Carpenter's Halloween being watched by characters, etc, and I Know What You Did Last Summer also plays to the urban legend thing.

But Urban Legends: Final Cut both directly addresses and also applies the elements that make great films. I don't hear people talking about mise-en-scene in a Wes Craven movie. I really loved the framing and the camera work in UL: Final Cut. It has great lighting and mood. And I love Jennifer Morrison, so that helps too. It also had a few kills that were more clever, I thought, than anything in the Scream or Last Summer franchises.

I have a strong suspicion that the subtitle was NOT the choice of the director. It just doesn't fit with the impression I get from the filmwork, and I can easily believe a dumb shit studio executive slapped it on there because they thought it was "edgy". You should give this one a chance!