The Collection Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: The Collector continues to torment unsuspecting victims as Arkin is recruited to help track down a girl with the aid of a group of wannabe mercenaries.

Review: Let me say this about the film, if you are a big fan of the first movie, chances are you may not like this one since the two are nothing alike. The first film featured a calculated killer who set elaborate traps and toys with his victims savoring their deaths while having a little fun with them along the way. This film plays out more like an action movie as a little task force (that's too generous of a title for these idiots) is trying to rescue some rich bitch as they become stuck in the Collector's playhouse of sorts. Picking up a few months, I guess, after the events of the first film, the Collector is at it again. Oh you silly little Collector you! The difference in tone is set immediately as the Collector has somehow organized a private rave at a warehouse where he has designed some pretty farfetched killing devices, but I have to give them some credit for how hilarious it all was for me! Only one girl survives (the rich bitch) but not before she inadvertently frees Arkin, played once again by Josh Stewart, who jumps out a window where he is later hospitalized. Idiotically, they dismiss pretty much all the bullshit from the first film with Arkin's antics, his wife's debt, his daughter, and all the drama. This is funny because you'd think it would be kind of important to address these plot points, right? Nope! The wife is still played by the same actress too...so...uh okay, and Arkin's daughter isn't even mentioned I'm pretty sure. Well, the rich bitch's dad doesn't take too kindly to his precious daughter being kidnapped by our little Collector so he sends the worst group of "mercenaries" known to man to bring the fight to the Collector and rescue the girl; they use some lame leverage to force Arkin to help them since he knows where the Collector's hideout is now. I'm not sure if they were intentionally supposed to suck or were we to honestly assume they were trying their best?! I'm not even exaggerating here: give me a butter knife, tie one hand behind my back, blindfold me, and I think I would have stood a better chance than these goofballs do! This time around, the Collector has converted an abandoned hotel into his very own fortress loaded with all kinds of crazy traps and ridiculous schemes. There are some really cool traps, and the decor created by the Collector is creative, but once again I could not stand how the Collector seemed to have so many things precisely plotted out that it defied any sense of reason. I mean, he's seriously always 10 steps ahead of everyone, and each idiot falls perfectly into the traps. Oh well, the deaths were satisfying enough although the Collector did kill off some of his "projects" a little too easily. The Collector himself just felt like a different character this time around, but they continued to do that thing where they hide his face like it even matters! Anyway, suffice to say, it's not long before the loser brigade starts to dwindle in numbers as Arkin appears to be the only one capable of defending himself in the group. Even the rich bitch is more able than these fools as she escapes and starts to dodge a few traps of her own. By the end, once all the pathetic mercenaries have been killed, the Collector has had his fun, and the cops surround the building, Arkin and the rich bitch face off against the Collector in a satisfying final battle of sorts. A lot of this is so cheesy but in a good way,,,to the point that I had to smile over it all; in fact, it's all so ludicrous and over the top that scenes that should look stupid become pure awesome! The final scene involves the fact that Arkin has figured out the identity of the Collector, goes to his home, and abducts him in a box the same way it had been done to Arkin. Once again, it's so stupid that I have to love it! By no means is this a good film, but it is so entertaining that I had to rate it higher than the first. The difference between this one and the first is night and day as the only thing they have in common is the characters and that people die, but I had more fun with this time around. I like the increased action, the increase in kills, scope of the traps, creativity in the designs, and overall sense of playing with the original concepts. On the other hand, the characters are stupid, everything is over the top, they clearly did not take the material seriously, many contrivances, lack on continuity, and not true to the vision of the original. I suppose, make what you want with this one since I foresee this as a love it/hate it situation.

Notable Moment: Without a doubt, when the Collector uses an elaborate lawnmower-like device to make mincemeat out of a club full of ravers. Fucking ravers...can't take 'em seriously after "The Matrix Reloaded."

Final Rating: 7/10