the obvious reason for producing a sequel to an immensely popular movie is to acquire continued profits . the rationale is sound , but in many cases of this and recent years , the sequel is a shoddy product that's exposed for the cash-milking vehicle it really is . last year's speed 2 and scream 2 , as well as this year's species ii have all been products that have been decisively less than satisfactory . in some cases , a sequel can even discredit its predecessor , as with the latest neo-slasher flick , i still know what you did last summer . whatever uniqueness the original might've had now seems trite and overplayed when paired with this abominable thriller . julie james ( jennifer love hewitt ) and ray bronson ( freddie prinze jr . ) are back from the original to star in i still know , reprising their roles in typical fashion . julie and ray experience a rather predictable falling-out at the beginning of the movie , leaving the door wide open for newcomer will benson ( matthew settle ) . will and julie hit it off , and along with friends karla ( brandy norwood ) and tyrell ( mekhi phifer ) , the foursome heads off to a radio station-giveaway vacation in the tropics . unfortunately , things aren't so peachy once they arrive , and with a regularity you could set your watch by , the infamous fisherman ( muse watson ) is back with his hook . it's another bloody showdown , complete with cliffhanger ending . there's not much that's original about i still know , and with the market saturated by gen-x thrillers like this one , it's unlikely that i still know will get any recognition other than that of a bad sequel . for die-hard fans of the genre , this will be required viewing material , but the bottom line is that the material here is just recycled from the original i know what you did last summer . the aura of thrillerism surrounding the plot isn't heightened by skillful scripting or camera work , but rather a tense , string-based score and manipulative editing . the man with the hook ends up becoming very belittled this time around when the script gives him too many lines of dialogue -- he goes from being a scary figure to a nutcase in a few short and painful moments . much of the mystery is dropped for the sake of getting the point . the whole reason the plot exists - julie and karla must guess the capital of brazil in order to win the trip from the radio station - is a dead giveaway , lessening suspense and creating a hurry-up-and-wait timing problem . and , whereas the killer's identity might've been a question in the first movie , it's almost a given here , which changes the dynamic of the movie drastically . three or four teens run automatically from a man in a rain slicker they nonchalantly refer to as " the killer . " they're almost used to it , and the performances show it - not hewitt , nor prinze , nor brandy , nor phifer give a decent show . and so , in the end , it's left wide open for a third movie and - most likely - a brand new supporting cast . god help us .
