There are a lotta things to like about this film- first, Nancy from part one is back. Second, the acting is actually quite good, particularly Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishbourne, Craig Wasson, Priscilla Pointer, and of course Robert Englund as Freddy. However, Heather Langenkamp gives what can only be described as a schizoid performance- her scenes with Craig Wasson are awkward and laughable, but when she's confronting Freddy or trying to save the kids from being tongued to death (you gotta see it to believe it!) she delivers a knockout and believable performance. Third, the directing is top notch and exciting. Fourth, the ways in which Freddy kills his victims are undeniably clever and fiendish- my personal favorites include the puppeteer and the girl who wants to be on TV. Gross but very clever and creative. Fifth, they take a plot that is basic but timeless- none of the adults understand what the kids are going through- and take it to a whole new level. Watching these kids band together to protect each other is surprisingly moving. My only disappointment is that there's no audio commentary from anyone. I would have loved to have learned more about the making of this film, as I understand that it was made on a very tight schedule with lots of rewrites and hard feelings because Wes Craven wasn't allowed to direct, resulting in a tense shoot. Would have been interesting to learn what Craven would have done differently if he had directed.
There are a lotta things to like about this film- first, Nancy from part one is back. Second, the acting is actually quite good, particularly Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishbourne, Craig Wasson, Priscilla Pointer, and of course Robert Englund as Freddy. However, Heather Langenkamp gives what can only be described as a schizoid performance- her scenes with Craig Wasson are awkward and laughable, but when she's confronting Freddy or trying to save the kids from being tongued to death (you gotta see it to believe it! ) she delivers a knockout and believable performance. Third, the directing is top notch and exciting. Fourth, the ways in which Freddy kills his victims are undeniably clever and fiendish- my personal favorites include the puppeteer and the girl who wants to be on TV. Gross but very clever and creative. Fifth, they take a plot that is basic but timeless- none of the adults understand what the kids are going through- and take it to a whole new level. Watching these kids band together to protect each other is surprisingly moving. My only disappointment is that there's no audio commentary from anyone. I would have loved to have learned more about the making of this film, as I understand that it was made on a very tight schedule with lots of rewrites and hard feelings because Wes Craven wasn't allowed to direct, resulting in a tense shoot. Would have been interesting to learn what Craven would have done differently if he had directed.