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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Werewolf, interrupted, May 25, 2004
Note: This review unavoidably contains spoilers for GINGER SNAPS. If you haven't seen it yet, do so. It's a smart, funny werewolf film with tons of character. After you've done that, come back here.This film picks up some months after the end of the first one. Brigitte has left home and is living on the road, still infected by her sister's werewolf blood and virtually addicted to the monkshood solution that keeps her own transformation at bay. After an unfortunate incident involving a nosy but well-meaning librarian, she finds herself in a rehab center, where she is naturally thought to have a basic chemical addiction. She is befriended by a younger girl called Ghost, to whom life is like the comic books she smuggles in and reads when everyone has gone to sleep; she easily accepts Brigitte's story, and they soon form an uneasy alliance. But Brigitte isn't just running away from her old life; there's a werewolf lurking just outside the doors of the facility that wants her badly. Emily Perkins was fantastic as Brigitte in the first film, and she deservedly gets the full spotlight this time. Her expressions, her delivery, everything is all so perfect it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. UNLEASHED is a very different film than GINGER SNAPS, but it possesses the same smart writing and feel for its characters. There is some humor, but the film seems darker in tone overall. We no longer have the sisters interacting with each other, though Ginger does make some brief appearances as the voice in Brigitte's head - a device that could have come off very badly, but is sparsely and tastefully utilized. Like its predecessor, this film does not pull any punches, and it treats its audience with respect. The ending of the first film wasn't exactly all smiles, and neither is this one. But I think it's an honest and realistic resolution to the character's situation. In fact, part of what makes this film great is that it's a logical continuation of the story. It is not a rehash by any means. This is one of the good sequels, and you can pick it up with confidence. The film on DVD is presented in widescreen and includes some deleted scenes, a closer look at some of the materials used in the film, storyboard comparisons and an interesting commentary track featuring the director and producers.
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29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brigitte tries to avoid sister Ginger's fate as a werewolf, June 24, 2004
Having just watched "Ginger Snaps" last week I was surprised to learn that the original 2000 Canadian horror film has become part of a trilogy, with this first sequel, "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed" and a final prequel, "Ginger Snaps Back," both coming out this year. I was surprised mainly because at the end of the first film Ginger is dead, so I was not really expecting to see Katharine Isabelle back in this one, but the screenplay by Megan Martin finds a way of bringing the title character back. However, the werewolf who needs to be worried about being unleashed in this film is Ginger's younger sister, Brigitte (Emily Perkins, who you may remember as the young Beverly Marsh in the television version of Stephen King's "It"), who had made her sister's curse her own in a tragic effort at sibling solidarity.Now Brigitte is trying to control the transformations, desperately shooting up injections of wolfsbane. She has also been cutting herself each daily, keeping track of how long it takes to heal because that tells her how close she is to the change (she heals faster the closer it gets). Knowing that the full moon brings on the change would just make things too easy for her. But Brigitte has bigger problems because she is being stalked by a growling four-legged figure who wants a little lycanthropic loving. She survives an attack but ends up in a drug treatment ward for young female addicts. Assumed to be a suicide risk because of all the cuts, the staff is not sure what to make about the monkshood; after all, it is not a stimulate, but basically plant food. The point of "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed" is to find out what happened to poor Brigitte. The opening reminds us about what is going on, but if you have not seen the original there is no reason to watch this one because it is the first film that makes us care about what Brigitte can do to avoid Ginger's fate. At one point the memory of Ginger tells her sister that it is not use to fight what is in her. Brigitte insists that she is strong and Ginger's ghost can only laugh and note, "That's not how I remember you the first fifteen years of your life." But Brigitte snaps back, "It's how I remember the last fifteen minutes of yours." Unfortunately, there are some things even worse than what she can imagine will happen (the obvious options represented by Ginger and the prowling wolf beast). As was the case with the first film, Perkins' performance anchors the film from going off into the realms of camp. She is the only one who knows what is going on and does not make the standard mistake of such people in horror films of assuming anybody is going to believe her. But the big twist in this film is that there is somebody who is more than willing to believe there is a werewolf on the ward. A young girl named "Ghost" (Tatiana Maslany) reads enough comic books about monsters and such to know more than a little bit about werewolves. Ghost is there because the building houses not only the detox center but a ward for long term care patients. Ghost's grandmother was severely burned in a fire and until Brigitte showed up the heavily bandaged old lady was all she really had in the world. Of course, Ghost is strange enough that the other girls pick on her and without conscious thought Brigitte finds herself in a sort of sibling relationship, except this time she is the older and wiser one. The key members of the staff are Alice (Janet Kidder), the counselor who thinks she has been through what Brigitte is experiencing and can therefore help, Tyler (Eric Johnson), the guard who is only interesting in trading the drugs the addicts crave for sex, and Dr. Brookner (Patricia Idlette), who thinks Brigitte's fears about turning into a werewolf probably means she is a lesbian. The rest of the girls are minor figures, with only Beth-ann (Pascale Hutton) singled out simply because somebody from the cast needs to be reduced to food halfway through the movie. There are less special effects that the first film, which means the gore level is reduced somewhat. The best sequences involve more imagination than graphic violence anyhow. The film is directed by Brett Sullivan, who was the editor on the original. What carries this film are the relationship between Brigitte and Ghost, especially since the younger girl insists on providing a spooky narration to even the most mundane events, and the fact that you get a surprise ending. Sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor and there are worst things than being annoying. "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed" was shot back-to-back with "Ginger Snaps Back," which is set back in 19th-century Canada as Ginger and Brigitte take refuge in a Traders Fort that is attacked by savage werewolves. Although they are helped by an enigmatic Indian hunter, once again one of the girls will be bitten by a werewolf and the sisters will again find they have no one to count on but each other. The final film in the "Ginger Snaps" trilogy will be directed by Grant Harvey ("Friday's Tired") from a script by Stephen Massicotte and Christina Ray. Too bad I can not plan on just watching it next week.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed -- Definitely worth the time, March 1, 2004
What can I say that hasn't already been said? This is a sequel worthy of the original in many ways. Although the black humor is toned down a bit from the original, and the lycanthropy-as-menstruation angle has been dropped, this movie still works very well.Emily Perkins is an absolute joy to watch, and her portrayal of Brigitte really drags you in, sympathizing with her all the way, even as she transforms. Tatiana Maslany's Ghost is a different character, however. Where Brigitte was totally devoted to her sister, Ghost's devotions and affections are tinged with a very-real insanity and inability to hold back from urges we all have. Katharine Isabelle's Ginger makes a reappearance as a twisted version of Jiminy Cricket, not so much playing Brigitte's conscience as hammering away at it, with comments like "you've got two choices, give up, or give in." The creature effects are superior this time around, although to me, that wasn't too important. Still, the story holds up very well, which IS important. I know there's a prequel in the works, but I really hope the "franchise" continues with a sequel to "Unleashed," because without giving anything away, this ending even more that the original is very hopeless and depressing. I've only seen a screener at current, so no ideas what the deleted scenes or extras will be like. Take it and run.
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