Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Katt Shea
Written by: Rafael Moreu
Starring: Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno, J. Smith-Cameron, Amy Irving, Zachery Ty Bryan
Produced by: Paul Monash

The Nutshell

A high school outcast discovers uncontrollable telekinetic powers after her only friend commits suicide.

The Review

    Stephen King has had many of his novels turned into films through the years. One of the more memorable and earlier screen adaptations was Carrie. Director Brian DePalma created a bloody, disgusting horror film that helped him become one of today's better known film makers. While Carrie was never a huge hit, it has a large fanbase out there. In today's remake climate, it isn't surprising then to find yourself watching The Rage: Carrie 2. Containing a story that in many ways mirrors the first, Carrie 2 is a techno-propelled attempt to make a horror film that will appeal to the same crowds that made Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer a hit. Unfortunately, it lacks the witty, self-parodying dialogue and hipness to do so. What it does contain is the first starring role for a promising new actress, Emily Bergl.

    The film opens with a young girl watching her mother go crazy, painting streaks of red across the walls and talking to things unseen. Later that night, her mother is taken to a mental institution. The girl proceeds to start opening and closing the cupboards and doors using only her mind. The girl, Rachel Lang, gets put in a foster home. The film then moves to present day and Rachel has grown up to be an outcast at her high school. Her one friend Lisa has been the victim of a vicious sexual game that the school's football team plays, sleeping with different girls for points, then dumping them. Lisa kills herself by throwing herself off of the school's roof.

    Before you can say "I wonder how this will affect Rachel?" entire rows of school lockers are blowing open as the part of Rachel's mind that contains her telekinetic power comes to life. Upon noticing Rachel's brain powers, school counsellour Sue Snell (returning actress Amy Irving) tries to explain to Rachel what is happening to her, but to no avail. Over the next ninety minutes, Rachel falls in love, learns of the football players' game, has several run-ins with them, and finally the film ends in a style similar to the originals, with not every character surviving Rachel's wrath.

    Director Katt Shea uses a blend of different camera tricks to make her film interesting. Switching from black and white to color, using off-kilter camera angles, fooling around with the lighting in the school, and bringing vivid dream sequences to the screen, Shea manages to give The Rage a hip look. Her style is similar to that used by Oliver Stone in Natural Born Killers. The plot moves along at a fast pace, which is welcome since very little in the way of excitement takes place before the climax.

    Newcomer Emily Bergl gives a strong performance as Rachel. Rachel is a tough independent woman on the outside, with a suppressed longing to be loved. This need for acceptance is brought out of Rachel when she falls for Jesse (London),a football player. Bergl gives Rachel an unsureness about letting herself go with Jesse that nicely contrasts her attitude-laced exterior around everyone else. Apart from Bergl's wonderful performance, the rest of the cast is very bland. There are a lot of high school students being played by obvious twentysomethings, a common problem for high school films. Every high school character is a copy of a character from past films, while Amy Irving is unconvincing as Sue Snell.

    The Rage's script closely mirrors the first Carrie, a common occurence with horror sequels. Carrie & Rachel are both outcasts in school, they both fall for a nice jock, they are both subjected to intense public ridicule and they both snap in identical ways. Fans of the original should find enough original material here to satisfy, though. Katt Shea gives her sequel a hip, modern look that makes it entertaining and fun.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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