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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre cinematically but entertaining anyway..., October 12, 2000
The Skulls finds us at Yale University, which you'll have to assume on your own like I did since they never actually say Yale. We meet Luke, who is a self-confessed former menace to society, working the cafeteria line and studying hard to make something of himself and hopefully go on to Harvard Law School. The only thing standing in the way of that goal for this young man is the fact that Harvard Law is a teensy weensy bit expensive. Luke, along with best friend Will (Hill Harper) and girlfriend Chloe (Leslie Bibb) speculate on his chances to be chosen to join the Skulls, a secret society on campus which is rumored to pay for such things as law school bills. It is the secrecy of the society that becomes a rift between Luke and his pals. His buddy Will speculates, "It's secret and it's elite - it can't be good." Insert ominous music here. By the stroke of midnight on that same eve, Luke finds himself in the midst of the Skulls initiation ceremony. The rules that govern the Skulls are grounded in loyalty to the other members, a willingness to do anything to protect the other members, and keeping the integrity of the Skulls by not divulging any of the proceedings to those on the outside. How can an organization that spawned no less than three U.S. Presidents be bad? Besides, you get a kickin' new watch to cover up the Skull logo they brand into your wrist, you've got money in your bank account, they set you up with a fancy car AND even if you have a girlfriend, they've got a couple more for you. Luke McNamara is thinking all this is too good to be true....and he's right, it is. It is only at the time of a murder cover-up that Luke begins to realize how corrupt the Skulls are and how high their influence and power runs. Luke is warned by Skulls soulmate Caleb Mandrake (Paul Walker) to back off and not try to dig too deep. Caleb's got a leg-up considering his dad, Judge Litton Mandrake (Craig T. Nelson) is the Chairman of the Skulls organization, not to mention, has designs on the Supreme Court. As you might have guessed, The Skulls follows a pretty basic formula with the suspense, the wondering who is good and who is bad. Is an elaborate murder plot just another method to fight for control of the society? Who's the pawn and who is the player? The Skulls seems like a watered down version of The Firm. Call it the New Coke of conspiracy movies. Almost, but not quite right. Where The Firm made it very clear where the lines were drawn and the penalties for disloyalty were clear, with The Skulls, there doesn't appear to be anything at stake for the society. They talk about being a member and understanding the virtues of the organization and that the laws of the Skulls are above all other laws, but it still rings hollow. The Firm infiltrated the lives of its characters, and so does The Skulls, but it never explains why. The conflict is room temperature at best. I think they were hoping for a Firm-esque thing here, one got that feeling from the previews. I was discussing the possible plot with a friend before having seen it and he was speculating on a sequence that might go something like, "Gee, thanks for the Porsche....what's this? I have to drink blood? Ewwww." Well, he was pretty close. BUT. You had to know there was a "but" in here somewhere. So help me, I was entertained. There are days when, forgive me, I don't want to think too hard. It's sort of comforting, sometimes, to know that a movie is going to have the appropriately shaky camera shots during the tense scenes, and the music will swell ominously at just the precise moment. You know yourself, and you know the movies you like. Then there are times, hopefully, when you allow yourself to sit there and be entertained, pure and simple, without apologies. On a different day, in another frame of mind, The Skulls might have really really irritated me. So, I gave some, but not all of my critical self the day off in a manner of speaking. The acting is OK, it compliments the New Coke attitude of the script. Joshua Jackson is likable, and Paul Walker is moderately interesting as the spoiled heir-to-the-throne Caleb. You get to see Craig T. Nelson as a mean, creepy guy instead of the bumbling confused Coach character you see now on reruns. The most interesting performance is that of William Petersen who plays a U.S. Senator that is in the Skulls organization. The camera work is predictable but still fun. The soundtrack is pretty cool, which is sometimes the only reason movies like this aren't immediately forgotten. However, there is nothing riveting or conflicting enough to keep you glued to your seat. You know what you like. Sometimes you're in the mood for something different. Sometimes you're in the mood for something ridiculous in the hopes of being entertained.
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