Final Cut
Dir: John Ottman
Starring:
Jennifer Morrison
Matthew Davis
Joey Lawrence
Loretta Devine
2000
R, 98 m
RATING: 3 out of 10
The plot behind Urban Legends, as much of the entire movie, is a direct ripoff of the same year's Scream 3, as much of the story takes place during the making of a movie. While it manages to echo the entire trilogy, it also meshes together tons of elements and scenes that have been employed with either great or marginal success in other films.
The opening totally copies Final Destination, the premise is a bastardized version of the Scream trilogy, and there is one sequence that manages to rip off Blair Witch and Friday the 13th in a single transition. Maybe first-time director John Ottman thought these would come across as homages to other successful horror flicks - or maybe the writers were simply lazy and wanted to capitalize on the success of the others. What's really awful is the entire idea of "urban legend" style killings is abandoned half way into the movie; the rest ends up as a typical by the numbers gore fest.
And so, the movie plods along, as predictable as watching the Zapruder film. The cast of young faces all seem to be trying their best as they stumble through scenes that lack any freshness, and Joey Lawrence (here credited Joseph Lawrence, as if he is attempting to step away from the pall that will forever be cast on him from "Blossom") shows us what a lack of talent he truly possesses.
To say Urban Legends: Final Cut succeeds in getting scares or suspense would be the same as saying you knew Brad Pitt would find his wife's head in a box in Se7en. You know you're lying.
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