I spit on your grave 3 (2015)

More blood, more gross out, less awesome.

Folks.
It is ok to enjoy a solid revenge flick. Be it Thriller: They call her one eye, Death Wish (and the what 5 sequels?) ... and the list is long believe me... the genre has been around long enough that the audience is there. And every once and a while when hollywood dresses it up with a big name star in the lead (Taken) its obvious everyone loves them a solid revenge flick. The rewarding part of the revenge flick is this: All the violence dished out to the villains is warranted... usually because they have done something horrible to children, or mostly women... and now they will all get their - oh-so-just desserts... so we can sit back and enjoy all the violence and chaos... guilt free... because - them guys had it coming.

Or. Well, that's my Freud Bomb on it.

So if you have not seen any of these films before, this is not the one to start with. The story goes as such... Jennifer Hills, having survived the group assault in the first film, and exacted her revenge (and remaining uncaught)... has moved to try to put her life together, and changed her name. She joins a rape therapy group type thing where she meets a friend... but then realizes there's all these men just raping people out there and someone should do something about it... in extremely violent ways.

Why do I have a 1950s hair cut in a 2015 movie? Good question. Seriously. Next...

This movie made one huge, gigantic, mistake - it forgot the first part of the revenge flick. Unlike the first two films in the series (three is you count the 1978 cult original) there is no graphic horror to balance out the violence in the film. No disgusting act that allows you to root for the heroine to dispatch her justice. Instead what you have is essential talking for an hour. Talking in group. Talking to therapist. And every once in a while she day dreams about murdering someone.

No one is attacked. No deed is blasted across the screen that makes the men cringe and the girls look away... instead we are treated to what I can only call a rather thoughtful script that tries to make a few statements about men, and how women are treated, and for that matter - treat themselves. Sure, thats all fine and good... but this movie is called I spit on your grave - part freaking 3. I am not here to debate the merits of punishment and police handling of assault cases.

This first two films were visceral. Enraging, you couldn't help but cheer when these horrible people were getting theirs... here well, you find yourself just rooting for something... anything to happen. Then when it does get going... they make their second... and most unforgivable error... they make the hero bat shit crazy.

Seriously, seriously, pipe down! 

I get she is damaged. I get she is all psycho avenger... but having her lose her mind... really, kind of undermines the entire structure of the film. She can't be strong, and empowered and raising up against the evil of the new millennium man is she's actually just loco... and hates every man - ever.

Horrible.

Ok that said. Like the other two films I thought they got a lot out of the actors here. I mean selling some of the horrible acts in these films is not easy, and again, the violence here - when it happens - does comes across as really intense (the whole two scenes of it). The script though for the first half having really nothing at all to make it similar to the previous two films... does manage to evoke some laughs... and real moments. The direction, as with the other two films is spot on, and does not shy away...

There just isn't enough here. Part of the series allure is the "What are they gunna do to this guy?!" and well... they just remove that concept in favour of "Lets make a statement of society" ... which again... in a lifetime movie, fine... but in this series - WRONG! wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong.

Still, it is heads and shoulders above many direct to video (with a small theatre release) offerings, and the violence in the two major scenes, is absolutely bananas. I still think the first two films are fair and away superior... but if they bounce back to the grit and horror in the next entry, I will forgive them the social commentary excursion.

Horror/revenge scale : 2.5 out of 5 stars
Move scale: 2.5 out of 5 stars

One Line review: The thinking man's B grade revenge thriller, ish. 

Till next Booniacs!

-CBB