MovieChat Forums > Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) Discussion > Disappointing as an Anniversary Film

Disappointing as an Anniversary Film

posted 8 years ago by eviljawa101-245-848254
3 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong. I do actually like this film and think it's a fairly decent conclusion to the series. However, I think that it was fairly lacking as the big epic 'Twentieth Anniversary' series finale it was supposed. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the common criticism that it is too derivative of Scream. At times the movie felt like it was trying so hard to be 'cool'. This extended down to the casting. Given its the anniversary film, why not bring back Charles Cyphers or Tom Atkins? I've heard some complaints that the absence of Dr. Loomis left a bit of a hole in the series' dynamic, an assertion I concur with. Why couldn't they have brought back Sheriff Brackett? It'd be appropriate considering he helped hunt down Michael in the original, and he'd have a proper motivation in avenging his daughter. But instead, they felt the need to shoehorn in LL Cool J. Plus, all the scenes with the students felt so forced and at odds with the tone of the series.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] dave626 8 years ago

Cyphers was way too old to do anything in this movie beyond an appearance and they already had Marion, which was the best move this movie made. The rest played out exactly as you said and I agree. They took everything that was popular at the time, Scream, I Know What You Did, etc. and didn't use what worked in the original Halloween. Which was a shame.

Tom Atkins and Challis was outside the Halloween universe, the Myers-verse because it was on TV for him. Even as another character, it wouldn't work. Look at the new Ghostbusters cameos.

This movie could've been so much better had Carpenter done it, but alas it was not meant to be and it is a product of it's time and creative forces.

"He came home." - Dr. Sam Loomis from the original HalloweeN

[–] monstermayhem32 8 years ago

Charles cypher was nearly 60 at the time so i dont think he was tok old. I think maybe he finds out about marion death in a newspaper and attempts to contact laurie about michaels return but is killed before he can warn her.