Waxwork 2: Lost in Time (C)
STARS...
Zach Galligan, Monika Schnarre, Martin Kemp,
Sophie Ward, Bruce Campbell, Jim Metzler,
Billy Kane, and Marina Sirtis.
PLOT SUMMARY...
A teenage boy and girl hopscotch their way through time and space.
QUICK SCAN...
This film could be compared to "Frankenstein Unbound".
WAXWORK 2 features action, some humor, and FX. Fans of such films as
"Alien", "Godzilla", and "Frankenstein",
may enjoy seeing these films, and others, spoofed. Patrick Macnee ("The
Avengers"), in a brief voice over, has the best line in the movie.
DIRECTOR: Anthony Hickox
YEAR & RATING: 1991 (NR)
BEST BETS:
A teenage boy and girl are visiting a house of wax. When it catches on fire, they escape. The girl is put on trial for murder.
In an effort to gain evidence for her defense, the two teens travel through various time eras. They have both separate as well as joint adventures.
At the end, only one of them can travel back through the time portal. The boy agrees to stay behind, letting the girl travel back to the present, where she promptly wins her case in court.
Review:
Writer/Director Anthony Hickox's, WAXWORK 2, is a lively, if at times
silly, time travel tale that has the virtue of not taking itself too seriously.
For those of us who have not seen the original "Waxwork", Hickox
opens WAXWORK 2 with scenes from the end of the original film. We see
various monsters and teens dying, as well as good guy Sir Wilfred (Patrick
Macnee), and bad guy/Waxwork owner, Mr. Lincoln, (David Warner of "Time
After Time"). Only teens Mark (Zach Galligan) and Sarah (Monika Schnarre)
escape.
At Sir Wilfred's house, Mark and Sarah watch a short movie of the late
Sir Wilfred. Anticipating their need to travel in time again, Wilfred
states, "How to get through the secret chamber? Follow Alice through
the looking glass." When the home movie ends. Mark remarks, "Alice?
Who the hell is Alice?" The better read Sarah responds, "That's
the second "Alice in Wonderland" book, the one where she travels
to another world through a mirror." Not only is Sarah talking down
to Mark here, but Hickox is talking down to his audience, which is unfortunate.
Galligan and Schnarre are okay in the lead roles. They look good, and
don't bump into the furniture, which appears to be all that Director Hickox
required of them.
In addition to traveling to different times, our couple also ends up in
recreations of different movies. The list includes: "Alien",
"The Haunting"/"Legend of Hell House", "Frankenstein",
"Nosferatru", and "Godzilla". Part of the fun of WAXWORK
2 is determining which film(s) a given time travel segment is tipping
its hat to.
WAXWORK 2 has an occasional funny "in-joke". When Patrick Macnee
(The Avengers) shows up late in the movie, as the voice of a raven, he
says, "It's the only way they'd let me appear in this one."
This is my favorite scene.
Director of Photography, Gerry Lively, does resourceful work here. He's
particularly effective with the Black & White imagery during the haunted
house episode.
The Optical Effects, by Robert D. Bailey, are adequate. They're mostly
used during the time/dimension travel scenes, and we've seen this kind
of blue light/lightning FX many times before.
The Original Musical Score, by Steve Schiff, is a bit campy, as it dabbles
in a variety of styles, including disco. You won't be humming any of it
after the film ends.
The biggest problem with WAXWORK 2 is that it hops around too much in
time. This leads to confusion, and a feeling of chaos.
Alert viewers will spot David Carradine (Kung Fu) John Ireland (Farewell,
My Lovely) and Alexander Godunov (Die Hard) in small roles.
WAXWORK 2 will not be very watchable for most Sci-Fi fans. Even time travel
fans may feel confused, and or let down.
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