\n\t\u201cSo here we are, it\u2019s 1997 all over again,\u201d one of the characters says tellingly in I Know What You Did Last Summer. That line, of course, is not from the original film in the series but rather its same-titled \u201clegacy sequel,\u201d which, if you\u2019re not familiar with Hollywood parlance, basically means \u201cLet\u2019s see if we can squeeze more dollars out of this sucker.\u201d Slavishly reminiscent of its predecessors, the film also features so many Easter eggs that it mainly serves as canned nostalgia.<\/p>\n
\n\tThose throwbacks, ironically, are the most fun aspect of this new installment, which is unlikely to garner the same sort of cult following as the 1997 original. The concept remains the same, with a group of extremely good-looking young people (here in their mid-20s rather than teen years) covering up a violent death for which they were responsible. Cut to a year later, when one of them receives a note containing the ominous titular message. Not long after, a killer armed with a metal hook and clad in a fisherman\u2019s slicker and hat begins gruesomely killing them one by one.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tI Know What You Did Last Summer\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Bottom Line<\/p>\n
\tShould have stayed buried.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRelease date: Friday, July 18
Cast: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Joshua Orpin, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Screenwriters: Sam Lansky, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRated R,
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 hour 51 minutes\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tIn this version, they\u2019re a fairly bland group, consisting of Danica (Madelyn Cline) and her fianc\u00e9 Teddy (Tyriq Withers); Ava (The Studio<\/a>\u2018s Chase Sui Wonders), their friend who\u2019s returned to celebrate their engagement; Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), with whom Ava has a romantic past; and Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), their estranged friend from the other side of the tracks, who reunites with them for an ill-fated drive to watch fireworks from a stretch of highway accurately named Reaper\u2019s Curve.<\/p>\n \n\tNone of them winds up being the first victim of the stalking killer. That would be Wyatt (Joshua Orpin), Danica\u2019s equally bland new fianc\u00e9, with whom she got involved after breaking it off with Teddy. He didn\u2019t have anything to do with the incident that has spurred such violent revenge, but his demise serves the purpose of setting the murderous events in motion while still leaving the central cast members in play.<\/p>\n \n\tNot receiving help from the local police chief or the town\u2019s chief real estate developer (Billy Campbell), who has a vested interested in covering things up, the group turns to two of the survivors of the previous rampage that took place nearly three decades earlier. They\u2019re Ray Bronson and Julie James (fan favorites Freddie Prinze Jr. <\/a>and Jennifer Love Hewitt<\/a>), who, needless to say, are still scarred by their experiences. Julie, at least, has made good use of her past, becoming a professor who teaches her students about the nature of trauma.<\/p>\n \n\tFor much of its running time, I Know What You Did Last Summer tediously lurches from one violent slashing to another, which would be fine if any of the kills showcased visual originality or genuine thrills, which they don\u2019t. It\u2019s not until the final act that the film goes seriously bonkers, throwing out so many red herrings and plot twists revolving around the true identity of the murderer that Agatha Christie would throw up her hands in disgust. It doesn\u2019t help that the more entertainingly colorful supporting characters, including a creepy pastor (Austin Nichols) and a sexy podcaster (Gabbriette Bechtel, very amusing) whose show is called \u201cLive, Laugh, Slaughter,\u201d are sadly underutilized.<\/p>\n