Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999) Review

This movie really should have been called Wishmaster Goes to Jail.  

During a robbery at an art museum which results in the death of her boyfriend, Morgana (Holly Field) inadvertently awakens the Djinn (Andrew Divoff), who immediately confesses to the robbery and the murders of several security guards.  The Djinn goes to prison and gets up to his old tricks by granting wishes and taking souls, slowly gaining power to try to take over the world again.  It's up to Morgana and her ex-boyfriend-turned-priest, Gregory (Paul Johansson) to find a way to stop him.


What Works:

My positives for this movie are similar to the first Wishmaster.  Andrew Divoff is incredible as the Djinn.  His screen-presence overshadows everyone else, and it's not close.  His performance is excellent, and he's just a ton of fun to watch.

I also love the practical effects.  This movie had a lower budget than the first so there are less cool effects, but when they do use them, they don't disappoint.

Finally, the protagonist is much better than the one from the first movie. Morgana isn't anything special, but she isn't annoying, like what's-her-name from the original.  Plus she does make some smart calls in the wording of her wishes.  The movie makes a smart choice in focusing more on the Djinn and less on the far less interesting protagonist.  A wise call on their part.


What Sucks:

Once again, the CGI in this movie is horrendous.  It's actually worse than the stuff in the first movie.  I attribute that to the lower budget, but it's rough to watch.

There are a bunch of plot inconsistencies with the Djinn's rules.  It's stated in both movies that he can only use his power if someone wishes for it, but there are times when he uses his power anyway.  Most notably is when a police officer tells him to freeze, so he freezes the officer solid.  That wasn't a wish, it was a command.  Basically, there is just too much lazy writing here which bothers me when it's a simple fix.  I get that horror sequels are lazy, but there's a fine line between lazy and offensively lazy.  Wishmaster 2 is the latter.

Finally, the 3rd act isn't great.  It's basically the same as in the first movie, with the Djinn unleashing utter chaos, but with the lower budget, it isn't nearly as interesting to watch.  The first two acts are solid, but when the chaos hits in the 3rd, you kinda just want it to be over.


Verdict:

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies starts off strong with an improved protagonist, cool kills, and the great Andrew Divoff.  But, with some lazy writing, horrible CGI, and a weak 3rd act, Wishmaster 2 comes up short and isn't something I can recommend.  It's not terrible, but it's not good either.

 5/10: Meh