Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000)

So Frikin Funny

I have to say, I enjoyed this film very much. I mean, I knew going in that it was going to be a cheesy horror film. Just look at the cover, and you know that. And I was not disappointed. It was fun from the get go with cheesy acting (although the woman who played the main character's wife was very likeable in her role, a much beefier part than in part 1), cheesy dialogue, and tons of gore (at least on the DVD. I hear the VHS is heavily cut).

While this is a step down from part 1, in actual film grade and set design, it realizes that from the get go. This one is ten times more self referential than the first one, and also lacks any disturbing scenes (Shannon Elizibeth in the bath tub was one of those scenes in the first one) but still has BUCKETS of gore. I mean, this one has red stuff to spare. And the addition of the little snow ball nasties was a nice touch. They were cute, and very fun to watch. If only they did more CG stuff with them. And on CG, I have to say, the little bit that there was in this movie looked REALLY good for such a cheap budget.

April 7, 2005

Oh the humanity!

The first "Jack Frost" film, despite the presence of Shannon Elizabeth, was a flaming wreck of a movie best suited for viewers incapable of such mundane activities as tying their shoes or figuring out bar soap. Imagine my surprise when I learned the folks behind the first travesty released a sequel. What were these guys thinking? They were thinking about money. The first film did well in video stores due to an eye catching holographic cover. That the film inside the nifty box was a complete waste of time didn't enter into the picture until the poor dupes got the rental home and shrieked in disgust. Anyway, the money rolled in. So now we have "Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Killer Mutant Snowman" to worry about. And worry you will if you discover you possess the mental and physical fortitude required to survive a single viewing of this nightmare. My entire film watching career has changed forever due to "Jack Frost 2," and not in a good way. In my review for the first film, I promised to watch movies like this one so I could warn others not to make a fatal mistake at the video store. From now on, you're on your own. In fact, I blame the movie renting public for the existence of this film.

If you haven't burned the memory of it out of your brain cells, the first film introduced us to a warped serial killer who, while on the way to his execution, was exposed to dangerous toxic wastes as a result of an auto accident. The outcome of this incident was Jack Frost, a sinister snowman burning with hatred for the sheriff of a small mountain town who captured him years before. Thus the killer snowman heads to the sheriff's town where he wreaks havoc on the residents. The townspeople fight back with a lot of cheesy dialogue, lame special effects, and gallons of antifreeze. As the first film came to a close, I breathed a sigh of relief that the horror was finally over. Wrong. In "Jack Frost 2," the same sheriff and a few other principals from the first film reappear to once again battle the evil that has a carrot nose and two eyes made out of coal. This time out, mere antifreeze won't stop Jackie, at least not for long. Nope, a company secretly experimenting with Jack's remains somehow provided the killer with several important immunities: he can't melt in sunlight, he can travel around in water form, and he can change the weather at will. Important developments, certainly, but you won't care too much about them by the end of the movie.

Sheriff Sam Tiler, his wife, and another couple from first film, decide to take a trip to an island so they can forget about Jack Frost. Tiler especially carries a lot of unpleasant baggage from his first encounter with the evil snowman. He cannot shake the feeling that the serial killer somehow survived the events of the first film, a feeling that eventually bears fruit when carrot nose turns up at the resort where Tiler and company are staying. The movie keeps getting more and more ridiculous as the story unfolds. Frosty dispatches a bunch of innocent tourists, including two yucks trapped on a life raft, a trio of bubble headed girls, and a bunch of vacationers at the resort in particularly bloody ways. A few characters, including an annoying English colonel, a goofy bartender, and the head of resort security (with links to the first film, of course) appear to provide lukewarm comic relief. Tiler eventually goes out of his head as the snowman runs riot on the tropic island, thus leaving it up to his wife and others to carry on the battle. I thought the movie a lost cause within the first ten minutes, but by the time Jack Frost started giving birth to little snowballs sporting razor sharp teeth and bad attitudes I knew I was watching pure dreck.

"Jack Frost 2" rarely works. The acting is so over the top bad that the performances eclipse the histrionics seen in the first movie. The sight gags simply failed to elicit any chuckles from me, especially Jack Frost's groan worthy dialogue. About the only thing that worked-- moderately, if at all--was the bloody ways Jackie dispatched his victims. Ice daggers soar through the air and punch through bodies, one person perishes in a crushing, and the snowballs with teeth slice and dice a few poor souls while Jack steps off center stage for awhile. Beyond the gore, "Jack Frost 2" disappoints through a mixture of lame acting, cheesy effects, and a bad script. I am thinking about retiring from watching films if a "Jack Frost 3" hits the store shelves in the near future. Well, I probably won't, but you get the idea. It is the total badness of "Jack Frost 2" that makes me spout such extreme statements.

The DVD version of the film boasts a few extras. There's an interview with the director, a commentary, a behind the scenes look at the movie, and some trailers. The worst extra has to be the rap music video starring all of the actors in the film. All I can say after watching this jaw droppingly bad attempt at comedy is...O.K., there is nothing nice I can say about it here. "You'll never work in this town again" might be an appropriate statement, but this time worn phrase doesn't encompass the depths of scorn I feel for the movie. Don't buy "Jack Frost 2." Don't rent "Jack Frost 2." Don't stand in the same room when the movie plays on the television set. Just put the idea of watching the film out of your mind and do something constructive instead. You can thank me later. April 1, 2004

Fun, Not as Good as the First, But Fun

I have to say, I enjoyed this film very much. I mean, I knew going in that it was going to be a cheesy horror film. Just look at the cover, and you know that. And I was not disappointed. It was fun from the get go with cheesy acting (although the woman who played the main character's wife was very likeable in her role, a much beefier part than in part 1), cheesy dialogue, and tons of gore (at least on the DVD. I hear the VHS is heavily cut).

While this is a step down from part 1, in actual film grade and set design, it realizes that from the get go. This one is ten times more self referential than the first one, and also lacks any disturbing scenes (Shannon Elizibeth in the bath tub was one of those scenes in the first one) but still has BUCKETS of gore. I mean, this one has red stuff to spare. And the addition of the little snow ball nasties was a nice touch. They were cute, and very fun to watch. If only they did more CG stuff with them. And on CG, I have to say, the little bit that there was in this movie looked REALLY good for such a cheap budget.

If ya liked the first one, check this out. If you haven't seen the first one, watch that instead. Then maybe check this out. Now will someone make a Jack Frost 3! March 2, 2004

Absolutely not.

I liked the first one; It was kind of funny and dumb. We drank all this Pabst Blue Ribbon on a cold December night and laughed pretty hard at it. So when this second one came out, me and the wife got all excited and prepared ourselves for maximum laughs. Sadly, the maximum laughs were not to be. This movie was so dumb that it was boring. About 45 minutes before it ended we were sitting completely silent on the couch, not laughing, not scared, not stimulated, not happy. Just pondering which one of us had enough energy to get up and push the stop button. If you want to achieve the same level of maximum laughs as you did during the original Jack Frost, I would just recommend renting the first one again. Renting this garbage sequel will only encourage them to make a 3rd one... August 23, 2003

Entire movie made with a cheap home camcorder

The film quality is horrible. The movie istelf is twice as horrible. Its even worst than part one.

Remember the bath tub sceen from part one. Well there is absolutely nothing as funny as that in part two. Rent this movie if you must, but don't buy it. July 29, 2003

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