How is Jordan Peele still writing? "US" was an intriguing film failed by a thoroughly stupid ending which rendered every frame before that a waste. One "twist" and the whole thing came crumbling down and no matter what angle you looked at it from, the film was riddled with plot holes and now, this, The Candyman reboot.
The acting, as with most of Peele's films to be fair, is great. No complaints. Some of the imagery is also great (such as Candyman being in the background of a shot but barely noticeable, just as a shame). It's creepy. It's well executed.
The music is good. Some of the storytelling techniques are good (with the puppet-type shadow play for example) but the story itself is a hot mess. There were multiple writers involved and I am guessing Peele got involved for the ending because it involves a wannabe M. Knight style twist, like his other films. And, it just doesn't work.
The first three quarters of the film are "okay". They're trying something new and whilst I wasn't overly keen with the direction they were taking I could appreciate it. Basically showing social injustices and white people versus black people BUT, the first film did that with Tony Todd's Candyman being a black slave who fell in love with a rich white woman (and was murdered for it). At times, this retelling felt like a lecture basically screaming that all white people are evil. I get it's social commentary but, come on.
Anyway the last quarter comes along and it falls apart. This is where the writers decided to give the fans what they would really want from a Candyman film but, it just doesn't work. The explanation is show-horned in abruptly although, ironically, the actual "reveal" is well signposted from early on and very, very predictable. So much so, in fact, I felt insulted by the time they finally said what we, the audience, already knew.
There's stupid moments too (such as the infected bee-sting). If you had something so very obviously wrong with you, you'd go to the doctors much faster and wouldn't wait until the character in question did. By this point you're just thinking he is an idiot and deserves what comes his way.
My biggest bug-bear though is the kills and violence. In the other films, when Candyman finally killed someone - you saw it. It was violent, it was nasty. Here, he pops up and we cut away. We will see some blood on the floor, we will cut to a different scene entirely and just leave the kills to our imaginations. Hard to say who is to blame though - is it the studio wanting a lower age rating or was it the director's design? Whoever was responsible needs to go away though because - it was annoying. This is Candyman... Let us see The Candyman do what he has done well for 3 films before!
Of all the films in the series, this is the weakest and a frustrating middle finger up to the original.
