…………………………………………………

Candyman Movie Review

Candyman is a 2021 horror film directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Yahua Abdul-Mateen II. This is a very problematic modern sequel.

………………………………………………….

“Ain’t a dick on the planet good enough

to offset a demonology hobby“

…………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………..

It follows a black artist who goes to a now gentrified neighborhood from the first movie in order to research the titular myth for his art. All hell quickly breaks loose of course, but none of it was nowhere near as disturbing as the original film. I did appreciate how artistically filmed some of the slasher scenes are, but they are for the most part not scary at all and the gore is even more excessive than in the first film.

This is one of those movies that try to be sophisticated, but fail miserably. It’s a great example of how much Hollywood has changed for the worse during these couple of decades separating the original from this sequel. While the first Candyman was actually clever as its social commentary, this one isn’t smart in the slightest.

In fact, it’s so on-the-nose in its treatment of black suffering, and it’s one of those movies that mention the word “white” so many times to the point that the message becomes clear and hitting you on the head like an idiot. Couple that with the annoying lingo of the art world and that atrocious ending that basically equates all white policemen as being racist and you’ve got a clunky movie with a muddled message and even messier execution.

Yahua Abdul-Mateen II is memorable in the main role and the character worked too. Teyonnah Paris as Brianna is also quite effective. However, Colman Domingo’s Burke was ridiculous and nothing about him worked nor did it make any sense. That twist led to a brutal, memorable scene, but I would have preferred a better conclusion overall.

…………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………..

This Candyman tied things up to the original very well with the twist about the protagonist being that baby from the first movie being fantastic. That I loved. I also loved the editing and colorful imagery that accompany some creepy scenes (those puppetry scenes are the best). The movie does have an artistic look to it, but the overall direction from DaCosta is a mess. The acting is good, but the dialogue is unsubtle and the script is all over the place.

The new Candyman exemplifies just how unsubtle Hollywood has become in the decades since the 1992 original. While that movie tackled black suffering in a nuanced manner, this one hits you on the head with that theme to the point that it becomes a frustrating watch. That police brutality ending was also very annoying as was all the pseudo-intellectual lingo of the art world on display here. The movie is very well acted, stupendously edited and shot with a couple of admittedly artistic scenes. It also connects some things to the original in an intriguing manner. But still, the script is a total mess as is the direction from DaCosta, resulting in a clunky sequel with a muddled message.

My Rating – 3