I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

The film follows a group of five friends. On the night of Danica's (Madelyn Cline, 'Glass Onion', 'Boy Erased') engagement party to Teddy (Tyriq Withers, TV's 'Atlanta'), joined by Ava (Chase Sui Wonders, 'Bodies Bodies Bodies'), Milo (Jonah Hauer-King, 2023's 'The Little Mermaid', 'A Dog's Way Home') and estranged high school friend Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon, TV's 'Tiny Beautiful Things'), they decide to go for a drive and watch the fireworks like they used to. Here they see a driver swerving and crashing, causing the car to fall off the cliff and killing the person inside. The group decides to keep this a secret, and year later they receive a letter saying, "I Know What You Did Last Summer". The Fisherman killer is back in Southport, targeting this group of friends, killing them off one by one. They learn that this has happened before and reach out to survivors Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr, 'Scooby-Doo', 'Christmas with You') and Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt, 'Garfield: The Movie', 'Tropic Thunder') for help on how to survive this serial killer.

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' is a shell of a film. It's a generic slasher film with a thin layer of pointless nostalgia that falls apart in its third act. The new cast is fine, but the film feels like it was written by someone who has heard Gen Z lingo but did not speak to a single person to see if it was authentic. There are some fun moments and callbacks; we get "What are you waiting for!" callback, some references to kills from the previous film, and some unexpected cameos (one from the person you are thinking, one from the sequel, which was a pleasant surprise), but it ultimately just isn't that fun a sit. It's largely forgettable with boring kills and thinly written characters.

Not to bring up 'Scream' again, but this film so badly wants to have that same impact. 'Scream' had an engaging script and cast of characters, yet this franchise is not remembered because people love the film, but the actors. They partly know this by bringing back Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt, but the film leaves them floundering about, giving them nothing to do. The third act is also a trainwreck, again trying to be like 'Scream'. There is a big focus on the puzzle of who is the killer, where I feel the first film - while having that aspect - had more of the focus on who will survive. The reveal of who is wearing the Fisherman suit is so silly and feels like there is more to be unexpected than makes logical sense. It almost bulldozed the film, but if it wasn't clear already, this isn't that great a film, nor is it a franchise I care that much about.

In the original film, the group of friends directly cause a murder, which is the reason that they are stalked by the Fisherman. I found it really baffling here that they witness this car accident and feel responsible for the death. While the film tries to justify this because they are standing on the street, and that's what caused the man to swerve, however, we see other cars pass by them just fine. While yes, they shouldn't have been on the road, the whole reason for them to be on this hit list should have been stronger.

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' wants you to think this franchise is a staple of the horror genre, but it once again proves that this isn't a notable series worth bringing back. It's a treat to see some old faces back on the big screen, but other than that isn't worth sinking your hook into.

My biggest gripe with this film is that they keep saying 1997 was 30 years ago. As a '97 baby in denial that my twenties are almost over, I was furious with this rounding up.