Because of his tragic death on the set of The Crow, we'll never know if Brandon Lee would have turned one successful film into a popular series. But one look at this tepid sequel suggests that not even the charismatic Lee could have rescued The Crow movies from the burden of a lacklustre screenplay. Based on the popular comic books by James O'Barr, this sequel finds Vincent Pérez as a man named Ashe, who is murdered along with his young son by a gang of drug-running thugs under the employ of slimy kingpin Judah Earl (Richard Brooks). Ashe is resurrected with the help of a tattoo artist named Sarah (Mia Kirschner), whereupon he begins a campaign of revenge against his killers. More a rehash than a sequel, the film repeats the grungy, dark look of urban decay from The Crow, but its combination of violence, heavy-handed symbolism and tacky sentiment make this a film strictly for nihilistic teens. Then again, no movie in which veteran punkster Iggy Pop plays a slimeball can be considered a total loss. -- Jeff Shannon, Amazon.co.uk

Sarah Michelle Geller, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon star in this steamy, stylish look at Manhattan's posh youth and their wanton games of sexual manipulation

There's a reason you haven't heard of Cruel Intentions 2, a straight-to-video "sequel" to the seamy teen romp that had Ryan Phillippe baring his polished behind: it's twice as bad as the first one and is only worth a look to see just how embarrassingly trivial it can get. Writer-director Roger Kumble's original was no classic, but at least the game, nubile cast knew how to smack its lips--his follow-up (which, in tamer form, was to be the pilot for a proposed series called Manchester Prep) can't even pout properly. Phillippe's Sebastian character (here played by a bland, doughy Robin Dunne) is carted back out to be reintroduced to scheming stepsister Kathryn, enacted by a woefully unsexy Amy Adams (Sarah Michelle Gellar played Sebastian's ripe cousin in the first film). The two don't hit it off, and Sebastian--far more sentimental than his big-screen counterpart--immediately decides he's all for love, in the form of pristine deb Danielle (Sarah Thompson). It all amounts to a ponderously cartoonish nothing, and includes a twist ending that renders everything proceeding it completely incomprehensible. Kumble has the film spouting homilies on love and self-esteem, then randomly throws in bare breasts; it's like a horny Saved by the Bell, without the kick or pace of good camp. --Steve Wiecking, Amazon.com