Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead

I loved Joy Ride. It was a very amusing and well balanced thriller that you were pleasantly surprised to admit you enjoyed, and that is really the only reason I gave the sequel a chance. Well, if this would have been given a different title, quite honestly people would have thought immediately while viewing that it was a rip-off of the first. Except for the same killer, nothing resembles the first, which goes back to my summary of how it is a slap in the face. I would have appreciated minor acknowledge to the first in some shape or form, but sadly I did not receive that. I know though how most sequels of this caliber are quite mediocre and disappointing, so I guess that is allowed to be my major disappointment for this one.

Still, with that peeve stated, I rather enjoyed this. It was very entertaining and, in ways, very smart and cunning where you did not think it would be so brilliant, but I am not exactly calling this a masterpiece thought-provoker with those words at all. I also thought it had decent and interesting characters enough to where you were actually amused with the story, though at times a lot of them were very faceless due to the casts' lack of strong acting ability, though I honestly can't state that I was expecting that in the first place. Also, the plot was very acceptable, to say the most. The movie entertains, and it was a satisfying enough sequel to a very great first. Certainly don't be expecting it to live up to Joy Ride if you are going to watch it, though/

I've seen a lot of movies that went direct to DVD, so I can say with confidence that "Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead" is an above average example. It doesn't beat the first movie, but if you go in with lower expectations as I did, it does provide a reasonable amount of entertainment. For what was a low budget (just $5 million), the movie all the same looks fairly professional. Director Louis Morneau shoots the movie on picturesque locations (believe it or not, this desert-set movie was shot in British Columbia), the cinematography is good, there is ample set decoration, and there are some good vehicular action sequences and stunts here and there. The story does make for some somewhat tense moments as well, though I will admit that the protagonists are not terribly likable - though on the other hand, seeing these guys put through various tortures is amusing and satisfying. Most importantly, the movie is never boring. If you are into B movies as I am, you'll probably find the movie entertaining enough.

While the original "Joy Ride" was a classy, suspenseful and stylish film, its direct-to-DVD sequel, "Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead," goes more for the gore and cheap thrills, playing as sort of a cross between the first film and films like "Hostel" which derive much of their horror from placing their characters in excruciatingly uncomfortable situations.

In the original film, we had characters we cared about, who found themselves at odds with an unstable trucker known only by the handle Rusty Nail after a seemingly innocent prank. Here, the characters -- as cardboard as you would expect from a cash-in sequel -- seem to be making as many poor decisions as they can at every turn and are just begging to be a part of Rusty's game. Rusty himself, who has been re-cast from Ted Levine to Mark Gibbon, comes across less-human than before and seems to have an even meaner streak. Here, the attempt is made to cast Rusty Nail as some sort of franchise villain, worthy of carrying future films on his back, but unfortunately, the film adds nothing new to the character's mythology or motivations. He's just a mean guy who can't be reasoned with.

In spite of its flaws and the fact that it can't hold a candle to the original, "Dead Ahead" gets a pass for delivering some decent thrills and for attempting to milk some tension in its final act. Also, the actors seem to be trying to deliver more than just the stereotypes they were written as, and for that, they should be commended. For the most part, it works, and to be honest, there have been much, much worse direct-to-DVD sequels in recent memory. It's also a bit tough to follow-up such a strong act as the first, so with that in mind, you'll be able to turn off your brain and enjoy a ride with "Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead."

Cheese is a matter of taste. Some people like strong Cheddar. You can even get seriously strong Cheddar. It's the same with skiing. Extreme skiing is not for everyone.

Extreme horror is not for me. I think many enthusiasts would regard this as being mild horror. Oh well, it's strong enough for me. Not really up my street. I prefer monsters and the supernatural, but this film is well-produced, well-acted and delivers the good.

The usual tradition with teen slasher films is that the teens are not very nice from the first and we perversely do not wish them well. Here, for a change, three of the people involved are eminently decent. There is an annoying character but he is the agent of the action. Fair play to him, he acted well through several different emotional situations.

The villain is appropriately sadistic. A kind of Johnny Cash, I would say, and everything Johnny Cash represents in my limited world view.

Production values good. A limited play set but the pieces are handled well.

Oh, the scene where the irritating Facebook guy doesn't want to do something is very good. That's where he's arguing that he doesn't want to buy something. I've been in that situation and the Joy Ride version is very true to life.

I do enjoy a good horror movie, and the psychological horror movies especially so, and "Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead" did indeed have the potential to be a great movie. And given my interest in the horror genre, of course I sat down to watch it.

The story, however, turned out to be just another generic run-of-the-mill psychological chase and terrorizing horror movie. It is about a group of people whose car breaks down and they find an old, rundown house in the middle of nowhere. They find a car in the garage and decide to take it, as no one is at home, with the intent to return later on with the car and pay for damages to the property. It turns out that the owner of the house and car is a cruel truck driver and he takes up the chase of the young people, hellbent on causing them harm and terrorizing them.

Sure, the storyline was not something new or innovative, and it was in fact something that had been seen in other movies. But still, it did have potential. However, director Louis Morneau just didn't manage to make "Joyride 2: Dead Ahead" stand out in the genre. The movie certainly was entertaining enough, but it just didn't have that special touch to it.

The acting in the movie was adequate, and people did actually perform well enough with their given roles and characters. However, the sadistic truck driver character was just a bit too generic and over-used in other movies similar to this.

There weren't anything particular scary about the movie or the things that happened throughout the course of the movie. But still, I will say, that many of the scenes were nicely set up and executed, they just weren't particularly frightening.

All in all, "Joyride 2: Dead Ahead" is an entertaining enough horror for what it turned out to be. You just shouldn't expect anything extraordinary here, and it is essentially something that has been seen in other similar movies.