First I have to say one thing...this was never intended to be a film. In the late 1990s, FOX decided to capitalize on the success of 'Cruel Intentions', and create a television version that would show the characters lives had they met years earlier in a private school. It was intended to be both a remake and a prequel. Only a handful of episodes were ever filmed of this Canadian/US joint venture, and due to the disturbing nature of the show's quality (ranging from incest to gratuitous sex/violence/language to bestiality), it never aired a single show. So rather than scrap all the footage and waste the actors' time, they strung together parts of it for a direct-to-video film.
That said, I don't care for it. It is too 'mature' for a television show, which explains why it was censored before it ever hit the air, despite being highly publicized to air on both CTV and FOX. The writing also doesn't work to keep the interest of either a movie fan or a television fan. The actors are doing the best they can with what they are given, but none of them were able to turn what they were given into something interesting. Although it was amusing how they suddenly renamed Sarah Thompson's character Danielle (she was originally named Annette because when they were creating the series, it was to have Annette as a school chum rather than an outside party).
It is interesting to see the movie just to see how they salvaged the television scenes, and added some 'movie favorites' to make it friendlier to movie goers. But if you're looking at this one because you saw the original, it's not a good idea to watch this unless you're willing to sit through repetitive lines, a virtually identical plot, and some unusual character changes. My kudos in this film have to go to Robin Dunne (who seems to do a lot of part twos...he also starred in the sequels for 'Skulls' and 'American Psycho') and to Sarah Thompson (who, thanks to this cancellation, was able to go on to a regular role on 'Boston Public', as well as numerous other guest spots and movie roles).
That said, I don't care for it. It is too 'mature' for a television show, which explains why it was censored before it ever hit the air, despite being highly publicized to air on both CTV and FOX. The writing also doesn't work to keep the interest of either a movie fan or a television fan. The actors are doing the best they can with what they are given, but none of them were able to turn what they were given into something interesting. Although it was amusing how they suddenly renamed Sarah Thompson's character Danielle (she was originally named Annette because when they were creating the series, it was to have Annette as a school chum rather than an outside party).
It is interesting to see the movie just to see how they salvaged the television scenes, and added some 'movie favorites' to make it friendlier to movie goers. But if you're looking at this one because you saw the original, it's not a good idea to watch this unless you're willing to sit through repetitive lines, a virtually identical plot, and some unusual character changes. My kudos in this film have to go to Robin Dunne (who seems to do a lot of part twos...he also starred in the sequels for 'Skulls' and 'American Psycho') and to Sarah Thompson (who, thanks to this cancellation, was able to go on to a regular role on 'Boston Public', as well as numerous other guest spots and movie roles).