Wild Things 2 (R, 2004)

common sense media says

Dreary sequel full of sex and violence.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie isn't intended for younger viewers. There are several scenes depicting nudity and love-making, including a scene with two high school aged girls and an older man. The characters use sex for leverage in a murky plot involving the riches of a deceased millionaire. Characters swear frequently. In the last half of the film, there are depictions of shootings, stabbings, and attempted strangulations. Teens engage in drinking with no legal consequences and an alcoholic character is presumed to have committed suicide.

Positive messages: Conspiracies to commit crimes involving sexual bribery and blackmail, multiple murders. Characters betray one another.
Violence: Threats, shooting, stabbing, strangling, alligators attacking people. Several airplane sabotages.
Sex: Semi-nudity, depictions of male/female intercourse, female/female kissing, sex used as a bribe or blackmail device.
Language: Frequent, casual, vulgar.
Consumerism: Many glamorous shots of expensive cars, leaving no doubt as to brand.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Frequent drinking, teen and otherwise, with no consequences.

More on Wild Things 2

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the fact that very few of the characters striving for personal gain through crime actually achieve it. Does crime pay? Is any amount of money worth the repeated betrayals depicted in the film?

What's the story?

What's the story?
WILD THINGS 2 is a sequel to the 1998 film, and was released directly to video and DVD. The plot centers around a wealthy young woman, Brittney (Susan Ward), a seemingly perfect high school student with a tragic past. When her millionaire stepfather, Niles Dunlap (Tony Denison) is lost in a plane crash, she is orphaned and a legal battle over his estate begins. One of Brittney's classmates, trouble-making Maya (Leila Arcieri), claims to be Dunlap's illegitimate daughter, and a DNA test seems to corroborate this claim. An insurance investigator (Isaiah Washington) smells a rat and starts to delve deeper into the case, finding a web of lies and betrayal. The film devolves into a mess of murders and seductions, until very little is left of the cast and nothing is left of sympathy for the surviving characters.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Where the original movie was provocative and surprising, the sequel is stale and full of plotless sex and violence. Wild Things 2 tries to follow a noir tradition, but it's too distracted by slow-motion shots of young ladies in bikinis and it lifts plot twists straight from the original. This is not a good movie for families or younger viewers.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Columbia Tristar
Director: Jack Perez
Cast: Katie Stuart, Leila Arcieri, Susan Ward
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release: March 6, 2004
DVD release: May 20, 2004
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong sexuality, language and violence

This review was written by Ellen Twadell
 
 

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age