Candyman (2021)★★★☆☆

When this movie started, I was all set to give it four stars just for the understated credits sequence and the foggy Chicago skyline angles. But by the end I couldn’t quite bring myself to rate it so highly.

Of course the original was a masterpiece. A classic. Scored by Philip Glass! I knew it was going to be hard to beat/best. But I still felt somehow especially disappointed in this one.

It had a lot going for it - a screenplay co-written by Jordan Peele, a cast that really threw themselves into the material, and a great score (despite the lack of Philip Glass). There are some beautifully shot scenes, and a few genuinely creepy moments.

I was aware of not fully being the intended audience for this movie, and couldn’t even properly articulate what I felt was missing… so I definitely went digging around to see how others felt about it.

This write up by Robert Daniels says it all more clearly and thoroughly than I ever could. And honestly, quite succinctly in the subtitle (“It’s cluttered, preachy, and not nearly scary enough”) alone.

I also really enjoyed this article and interview by Sonaiya Kelley, where the filmmakers discuss the impact the original had on them and how they approached the making of this movie.