Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010)

SOME SPOILERS!

In 2008 the long awaited Lost Boys sequel “The Tribe” came rushing into the video stores for all us fans to see. Ok it was direct to DVD but we finally have a Lost Boys sequel! Sadly the movie really sucked. It was a bland rehash of the first film with horrible acting, poor direction and a serious lack of Corey Feldman. The main reason us fans wanted to see it was because of Edgar Frog and he’s screen time in the film was very little. It was a huge slap to the face of fans.

Fast forward to 2010 and the brand spanking new Lost Boys sequel “The Thirst” is now on DVD and Blu-ray for us fans to judge. Does it make the same mistakes as the first sequel or is it an overall better attempt? Well let’s just say it does more good than it does wrong.

Right off the bat focusing on The Frog Brothers this time around was a smart move. They were a big part of why the first film was so much fun. Why the first sequel decided to focus on new boring characters is beyond me but we don’t have this problem here. This is the Frog Brothers film and if you’re not a fan of those two characters this movie won’t work for you. Alan Frog (The returning Jamison Newlander) has the less screen time of the two but his storyline remains important to the film, especially during the finale.

For fans of the original there are several references to that film. Instead of feeling forced into the film to please fans, they instead serve a real purpose. One practically touching sequence involves Edgar Frog visiting the grave of Sam Emerson. It’s a nice moment in the film and a respectful way to say goodbye to the character and late actor Corey Haim. There’s also flashbacks to scenes from the original. Instead of feeling like time filler these scenes remind us of how much has changed in Edgar Frog’s life. His brother is now a vampire and his best friend is dead. Edgar Frog is pretty much all alone.

How is the big bad in this one? The lead vampire DJ X doesn’t make much of an impact but is at least better than the painfully dull Angus Sutherland from the first sequel. The vampires' sole reason to exist here is to be killed by Edgar Frog and his teammates. Good or bad thing? You decide. But the fact remains that these bloodsuckers don’t hold a candle to Kiefer Sutherland and his gang in the original.

The storyline here is nothing to get too excited over but at least they didn’t simply recycle the original film’s story like The Tribe did. It involves Edgar Frog being hired by a novelist to rescue her brother from DJ X, who has some nasty plans for the poor soul. Edgar brings along Zoe (played by the adorable Casey B. Dolan) to help destroy DJ X and rescue the brother.

Dario Piana directs this time around, replacing hack director P.J. Pesce (responsible for DTV classics like From Dusk Till Dawn 3 and Smoking Aces 2). Lost Boys: The Tribe came off as bland and lifeless. Dario Piana on the other hand directs a fairly stylish and exciting fare and his action sequences are well shot (but too short, probably for budgetary reasons). I was fond of Dario’s work on “The Deaths of Ian Stone” and he continued to impress me here. Give this guy a big budget!

Anything I didn’t particularly like? I thought the opening credits sequence was terrible and featured some of the most god awful techno music I’ve ever heard. Although the movie runs at a fast pace (77 minutes without credits) I felt there could have been more to the story than what we got. In fact the whole film felt more like a Pilot for a television series. I also felt the vampire make-up wasn’t great this time around. It’s not terrible but it’s a big step down from Greg Cannon’s creations in the original film. Last but not the least, the ending. Love the concept behind it but the execution fell flat.

So is this the Lost Boys sequel us fans deserve? No it isn’t. It is good enough and a fun time waster? Hell yes! If you weren’t a fan of The Tribe, I don’t blame you. But give this one a shot. It’s pretty good.

7/10