Review: I Know What You Did Last Summer [DVD]

✤✤✤✤✤/✤✤✤✤✤

If you're expecting originality you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting a faithful adaptation of the superb book this is based on you'll be let down [Author Lois Duncan tried to have her name removed from the film when she saw the final version]. If you just want to sit down to enjoy a entertaining movie, that is well-acted (the supporting cast [Bridgette Wilson in particular] do as good a job as the top-billed stars). you've come to the right page.

Four friends run over a man and in a panic they dump his  body into the ocean after their drunken 4th July celebrations. One year later almost to the day, one of the friends receives a letter & the game is on.
As it draws to 4th July the letters escalate to hair cutting, disappearing bodies & hit and runs.





I must mention that I wouldn't really call I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER a slasher. Yes there is some gore, but I think it's more of a suspense thriller.

The film focuses on issues of honesty, trust, revenge, and relies on tension & building suspense instead of blood and gore, like classics such as HALLOWEEN. I'm not saying that I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER is on that level, but it is well done. The film is better then it's chief comparison SCREAM because it seems more realistic.


I only have one niggling negative; It's clear [to me at least] which characters won't make it to the end credits, so despite the fact that the cast make them [mostly] likable, I didn't bother getting attached to them. This made some of the death's sort of like 'yeah. OK. Next.'


One additional observation; I'm quite sure that the film had an 18 certificate in cinemas, while the DVD is certified as a 15. This makes me wonder over missing footage. I don't want to give anything away, but the killer has collected newspaper articles that detail something that seemingly has very little to do with the given plot. Just little things like that are winding me up. It doesn't spoil the plot or anything like that, so it isn't really important I guess.

Also, Anne Hecht has a seemingly pointless supporting role. So where has any left out footage gone? It's not included as an extra. Are they going to bring out 50 DVD editions of this or something?


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Cast:
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Jennifer Love Hewitt ...  Julie James
Sarah Michelle Gellar ...  Helen Shivers
Ryan Phillippe ...  Barry William Cox
Freddie Prinze Jr. ...  Ray Bronson
Bridgette Wilson ...  Elsa Shivers
Anne Heche ...  Melissa 'Missy' Egan


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Technical details
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[Region 2 DVD release]

Cert: 15
Format: Colour, PAL, Widescreen
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1

The DVD is available on Amazon for £5.22.