With 'Jeepers Creepers 2' it's the old been there, ate that

By Randy Cordova
The Arizona Republic

JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 (Rated R) Two stars (Fair) Tedious sequel to a superior original, "Jeepers Creepers 2" is more of the same ol' been there, ate that. Starring Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck, Nicki Aycox. Directed by Victor Salva, MGM, 103 minutes.

Two years later, we get "Jeepers Creepers 2." And in true bigger-isn't-always-better fashion, the brother-sister duo is missing, replaced by an entire high-school basketball team.

Considering that this film is populated with never-heard-of-'em actors playing characters that aren't fleshed out (so to speak), the result is wildly cluttered. It's hard to tell whom to focus on, much less distinguish one bland jock from another.

That's just one of the problems that torpedoes the film, written and directed by Victor Salva, who did honors on the superior original shocker.

As in the first "Jeepers Creepers," Salva does get the look down right. The movie is beautifully lit and photographed, with most actors filmed in extreme close-up. An opening sequence, set in a copper-colored cornfield, is visually arresting.

But while the movie is impressive to watch, the plot is jittery, and not in a good way.

The story involves the basketball team and assorted hangers-on (coaches, bus driver, cheerleaders) getting stranded on an empty highway in the middle of nowhere.

They're trapped inside their bus by the gargoyle-like Creeper, who menaces and teases the terrified teens, stopping occasionally to behead someone and ingest the remains.

Only plucky cheerleader, Minxie (Nicki Aycox), has any clue to what's going on, thanks to her icky dreams featuring an ominous Darry (Justin Long in a cameo), one of the first film's unlucky siblings. Yes, we swear: Her name is Minxie.

Nothing wrong with people trapped in small spaces to create a feeling of menace; think of how impressively fearful the mood was in 1989's "Dead Calm." But Salva is unable to sustain the concept, and the movie becomes tedious, as opposed to claustrophobic.

And like most horror sequels, the flick loses the whole element of surprise that made the original special. After all, the first time you hear about an unstoppable flesh-eating creature that gets to binge for 23 days every 23 years, it's kind of cool.

The second time? It's the ol' been there, ate that.

Rated R for horror violence and language.