Urban Legends: 
                             The Final Cut
                                   (2000)
                                      review by Head Cheeze

Crucify me, but for some reason I actually enjoyed the Urban Legends films, albeit in a FREE on Showtime sort of way. When I found the pair in a used DVD shop for $8 bucks a pop I figured what the hell and added them to my collection. I know I've been harsh on several Post-Scream horror flicks, epecially films like Valentine, the I Know What You Did Last Summer films, et al, but the Urban Legends films work for me on a completely "Me Lay Down. Me Watch Movie. Me Shut Down Now." way.

Urban Legends: The Final Cut basically takes the premise of the first film and shifts it from a creepy northeastern university to a creepy northwestern film school, where students are working on films in competition for the coveted "Hitchcock" award. Travis Stark (Davis) is the school's prodigy and the favorite to win the award, but he suddenly commits suicide and his film dies with him.

Meanwhile, classmate Amy (Morrisson) and a bunch of red herrings are working on a film about urban legends (the only thing that ties this film to it's predecessor, really!), but when a man in a fencing mask (yes, a fencing mask) begin's stalking and offing those who were involved with Travis' film it's up to Amy (Morrisson) and Travis's twin brother, Trevor (Davis, with spikier hair) to stop the carnage and save the day. Oh, and Reese (Loretta Devine) is back as the campus security guard, too.

Okay, so it's stupid. It's very very stupid. I will be the first to point out that there are so many plotholes in this script that one could strain pasta through it, such as why Amy never calls the police, why Reese, who has been through all of this before, absolutely refuses to believe Amy's story, even though it's the exact scenario as the last film blah blah blah.

The bottom line is the film is just a nice way to kill time. It's one of those films that demands so little from it's audience and rewards us with plentiful gore, some hot looking chicks, a few inventive death scenes, and a pleasant Scooby Doo like conclusion. Urban Legends: The Final Cut doesn't ask and we recieve, it's as simple as that. Sure it's got self-referential humor up the ass, but it's kind of funny, and it never, for a second, takes itself seriously, unlike Valentine or the I Know films, which actually tried to be frightening.

The DVD from Columbia Tri-Star has a few nice tidbits thrown in to make me like the film all the more, including a very funny commentary with Ottman, who seems just as tickled with this silly film as I was, as well as a gag-reel (once again, a clear sign that this is all good fun!) and a little making of featurette of the sort they show on HBO in between movies. It's not a bad package at all, when you factor in some deleted scenes (with commentary!), cast and crew biographies, and trailers, and makes for a nice rainy day movie when you're not up to the task of watching something you have to pay much mind to.

I like the original film even more, so there!!