Lost Boys: The Thirst Outshines The Tribe?

One blogger got ahold of a review copy of the newest addition to the repugnant series of Lost Boys sequels; it wasn’t me, –but from what I’ve seen and heard about the latest sequels, I’m not sure I’d be first in line to sit through it. Oh, I’ll probably end up seeing it eventually, –though, I’m inclined to believe it may not be as horrible as we’re expecting it to be. The first review for the film so far, isn’t entirely negative; according to the review, the film’s been taken in a new, camp-comedy direction, –which is the same route the original film followed, and as with most things, it’s really up to the viewer to determine whether or not the humor hits its mark or falls short.

Mark Harris from About; Horror & Suspense shines some light on these creatures of the night:

“Veteran vampire slayer Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) has hit hard times. Living in a rundown trailer in Cazador, California, he’s resorted to selling his prized comic books to make ends meet. Not only are his funds low, but so are his spirits, having buried his friend Sam (Corey Haim) and having lost his brother Alan (Jamison Newlander) to the vampire curse.

In steps Gwen Lieber (Tanit Phoenix), a bestsellling author of vampire romance novels who believes that her brother Peter was kidnapped by vampires at a rave and needs Edgar’s help in rescuing him. Edgar becomes intrigued when Gwen explains that she believes that the original vampire may be behind the kidnapping — meaning that if he or she is destroyed, Alan may be restored to human form.

Partnered reluctantly with a reality show tool named Lars von Goetz, Edgar investigates the raves thrown by the mysterious DJ X and finds that partygoers are turned into vampires by drinking vampire blood disguised as a drug called The Thirst. It’s up to Edgar to infiltrate the next rave, rescue Peter and kill the head vampire once and for all.

It’s apparent from the opening scene of Lost Boys: The Thirst — in which the Frog Brothers battle a vampire Congressman — that this is a more campy endeavor than the overly serious Lost Boys: The Tribe. And that’s a good thing. With Edgar Frog, the major comic relief in the original film, firmly situated in the starring role (after being a supporting player in The Tribe), there’s no way The Thirst can be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, the camp isn’t pushed nearly far enough. The whole vampire Congressman thing lends itself to some funny commentary on the easiest targets around — politicians — but it’s all dealt with matter-of-factly. There are seeds of parody potential throughout the script (the Twilight-inspired author, the reality show tool), but thanks to spotty writing, the comedic elements are hit-or-miss. The film struggles to find its tone, as the filmmakers seem reluctant to abandon the “hip” angle of the first two films.

They fail to realize, though, that the Frog Brothers aren’t hip. They’re goofy, and that’s what makes them likable. So, while the filmmakers are busy tossing in what they think the youths today find cool — raves, drugs, skydiving — we’re left with less lovable goofiness in what should basically be a straightforward horror-comedy.

That said, The Thirst is a step in the right direction. It actually feels like a TV show that’s finding its way from the pilot episode. There are reports that there may be a fourth (and even fifth) entry in the series, so hopefully the tone will continue to evolve. There’s a solid foundation built for continuing storylines, with Edgar having a small ring of helpers at his disposal, including his comic book store pal Zoe and his weapons expert Blake. Who knows, if things don’t work out for another movie, maybe it will get picked up by SyFy as a series.”

Harris gave the movie a C+, which is a step up from the obvious F that The Tribe got from pretty much everyone who saw it. To be fair, The Tribe was entertaining, it just wasn’t as good as it might have been, nor was it really being welcomed by fans of the original vampire classic, The Lost Boys. Movie fans, maybe even especially genre fans, hate for their movies to be tinkered with. While it’s easy to fall into that line of thought, we have to remember, if it wasn’t for sequels, we’d never have the Freddy/Jason/Michael Myers franchises. Maybe the Lost Boys films are next generation’s ‘Freddy’ movies. So, while you might be tempted to just shit on every remake or belated sequel, remember to give them a chance before you do. The cheesy fun of them might just be enough to win you over. And really, –when it comes to vampires, shouldn’t we just be thankful that they don’t sparkle?

By annimi

Ashley writes for Vampires.com, Werewolves.com, and other sites in the Darksites Network. She's involved in several seedy and disreputable activities, smokes too much, and spends her late nights procrastinating for work on her first novel.

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