by Shane Conto
We all have a fond memory of the 1990’s witchcraft horror film, The Craft, right? To be honest…I have never seen it! So, what compelled me to check out this long-gestating sequel? The Halloween season is quite the powerful motivator for all things spooky and creepy and who wouldn’t want to spend some time with a coven of witches just in time for October 31st? Going in, I knew the film had witches and they are teenage girls, but not much else. With that being said, I expected a spunky attitude and a 90’s vibe. Did Zoe Lister-Jones and Blumhouse deliver that in their new sequel?
Lister-Jones is a talented writer and actress with some of her previous work including films like Band-Aid.
She has proven that she has a quirky sensibility and a real handle on characters and snappy dialogue. Now The Craft: Legacy does have a bit of a spunky attitude and a specific tone. Is it a pleasing tone though? Is it fun? Is it spooky? Maybe a little bit of each, but nothing is developed enough to really leave an impression. One positive of the film is that it is filled with enough energy to zip through its 94-minute run time. The real unfortunate thing is that the film never really captures the energy and personality of Lister-Jones other work. The lack of personality makes the film feel a bit generic. When the genre trappings kick into full gear, the effects are really iffy and come off looking cheap. Could this be on purpose? Does it fit the feel of the film? To me…not quite.
Lister-Jones also takes the reins with the screenplay of the film as well…but that does not work out very well either.
Barely any of the characters in this film have any depth. They feel like a bunch of stereotypes or just one-dimensional. Our little coven of four at the center of the film unfortunately are not particularly interesting either. They feel like every other group of teenage girls from a generic teenage drama except they have powers. Speaking of which, these witches love to spew exposition about being witches and how it all works. Those particular scenes feel forced and boring. The dialogue in general in the film is really stilted and awkward. Would teenage girls really say these things? I wouldn’t quite know from experience, but they do sound like they were written by some guy…but they definitely were not. But if the first two acts of the film felt like a generic, yet, watchable teenage drama with some flair, the third act is a hot mess. The villain is unveiled and turns out to be thinner than a sheet of paper. Their motives are so on-the-nose, I was checked out so fast. Then the final scene is so obnoxious fan service and sequel baiting that even someone like myself who never saw The Craft knew exactly what they were getting at.
One of the best aspects of the film is the energy that the young leads bring to the proceedings.
Cailee Spaeny is a charismatic young lead who does a solid job of carrying the film. She has to deal with a lot of silly dialogue and interactions but she does it with great energy. Gideon Adlon is a really talented young actress who has put great work into some films like Blockers. Adlon brings a lot of charisma to the role, except many of her choices are really over-the-top and come off as unnatural. Unfortunately, Zoey Luna and Lovie Simone do not really get a chance to shine in the film. Michelle Monaghan does not really have much to do as Spaeny’s mother. And then there is David Duchovny. He honestly looks like he is half asleep the whole entire film. There are some important moments he is supposed to be involved in the film and his performance falls completely flat.
But with all of this being said, is The Craft: Legacy enough for fans of the original and genre fans alike?
This one really does not offer much in terms of anything special for genre fans to enjoy. For the fans, I don’t think I can really judge. But from a film perspective, The Craft: Legacy is a cauldron full of messy themes, effects, performances, and dialogue. The film is at least solidly watchable…for most of it.
Grade: D