So there has been a reclaiming of sorts of this movie within the horror community. That it is better than many of us gave it credit for. I was young the first time I watched it, so I didn’t care for it. I watched it again more recently (but still a few years ago), and was mixed. I decided third time’s the charm. Do I agree with people that this movie is better than it gets credit for? Yes. Do I think it’s good? Kind of?

I actually like that it is a bit different from the first movie, but still remains close. It is not found footage, but there is a bit thrown in with the characters watching the recordings. I think it works better for the plot and setting. Speaking of, they aren’t lost in the woods, but it is still a movie about a group of people falling into distrust, paranoia, and madness.

The places where I think the differences were bad might not have been entirely the director’s choice: plot and pacing. As far as pacing, I can actually see the argument for making this movie less of a slow burn than the original, but this movie goes too far in the other direction, which also leads to the plot. This movie spoils itself so many times, and it is so disappointing. It jumps the gun on the other group being killed, on the three who get arrested for it all, and the end result is a lot of what felt like powerful reveals fall flat.

It is honestly still better than I think a lot of people give it credit for. It has some off parts about it, and it sadly falls short of its potential. However, it is interesting and not bad at all. Glad I gave it another shot.