SnoopyStyle
Being always on the move, Kevin Matthews is the new kid in Emerson High. He flirts with Amanda who happens to be arrogant jock Wayne's girlfriend. He's already in trouble on his first day getting into a fight with Wayne's idiot friend Cecil. He gets a fast food job working beside Lucy Kaminsky (Kelli Williams). He joins Lucy who is the VP of the Science Club. They find Barney Springboro's secret prune juice hidden behind the wall. Wayne and Cecil force Kevin to drink the juice and soon he discovers his new telekinetic power.Todd Eric Andrews is not good enough to be the lead although Scott Baio in the original is not a high target to hit. His character is too brash too soon. He should try to be nice even with Wayne at the beginning. It's fun to see familiar faces like Kelli Williams and Linda Blair. The story is fine for its genre. However, this movie is not much more than a poor teenage boy fantasy with a bit of female nudity. It needs to be funnier with good comedic talents.
bkoganbing
There was nothing so terribly great about the first Zapped movie, certainly nothing that warranted inflicting a sequel on the American movie going public. But who knows what the producers thought in making another film. I can't believe there was a great demand for a sequel.All the tumult from the Carrie like prom night that ended the first Zapped movie has died down. It's some eight years later and a whole new group of kids is at Emerson High School. A new misfit of a kid in Todd Eric Andrews comes to town. After that it's the usual angst as the various cliques in the school shun him and he joins the science club where they find in the lab where Scott Baio accidentally discovered that telekinesis formula. It's seems like he hid a stash of it behind the Albert Einstein picture in a hole in the wall. When Todd imbibes, the high school world becomes his.Of course Todd's got eyes for the head cheerleader Maria McCann even though Kelli Williams of the science club really digs him. Maria's property of Reed Rudy the head jock at the school and he and Todd keep having it out. Of course Reed's overmatched from the gitgo with that telekinesis thing Todd's got going for him.The climax at the homecoming was really dumb. Rudy frames the science club and gets their space for his exclusive fraternity and then further tries to humiliate them at the homecoming. But putting them in charge of the food? Dumb, Dumberer, Dumbest, that's just begging for payback. What a MAROON.It's funny like the first Zapped in a juvenile sort of way and its for them I'd recommend it.
James Terrell
The only reason I watched _Zapped Again_ was because I had again watched the original _Zapped!_ after 19 years (see my review for _Zapped!_). From some of the reviews in video books and on the IMDb, I was prepared for an unmitigated disaster. Surprisingly, I found myself reasonably entertained for an hour and a half.First of all, I should say that _Zapped Again_ isn't a great movie. Its origins and status as a low budget, direct-to-video movie clearly show. The plot is very superficial, the constant double entendres (especially the "wiener" jokes) get a little annoying, and the stand-up-for-your-friends-and-don't-go-with-the-popular-crowd moral that pops up in every teen film has been conveyed much more effectively. Even the special effects are worse than the original _Zapped!_, which actually came out seven years earlier.But in spite of all of this, I didn't think this was half bad, probably because I went in with lowered expectations. One reason was because the movie doesn't rely on strong profanity, sex scenes, or gross-out scenes to entertain its target audience, the way so many other teen movies do. In fact, this is basically a PG-rated movie with some nude scenes incongruously thrown in--just like the original _Zapped!_. I'm no prude, and I have to agree with the reviewer who said that the movie is "gosh darn wholesome," but not all movies--or even all teen movies--require racy elements. Maybe this IS too much like _Saved by the Bell_, but it does have PG-rated material (and those nude scenes, the only reason why this is rated R).I should devote a separate paragraph to Kelli Williams, who plays the hero's love interest (by the way, her mother, Shannon Wilcox, plays the hero's mom in the opening scenes). I had never heard of her before watching _Zapped Again_ (I never watch TV, so I hadn't even seen her on _The Practice_), but let me tell you, she helps this movie immeasurably. You see, her character is supposed to be a science nerd, just like Felice Schachter in the original _Zapped_, but Kelli lights up the movie every time she appears onscreen. Not only is she the perfect "sweet nice girl" (I always had a weakness for those characters), but she plays this part without overacting or resorting to caricature; she gets it just right. Although roles like this are never meant to win Oscars, Kelli takes this little part in a direct-to-video flick and actually does something with it. Although I'm sure she'd like to forget all about _Zapped Again_, the movie is much better for her presence. I'm not surprised that she went on to her present success on _The Practice_.The acting is actually better than in _Zapped!_, which is one main reason why I liked _Zapped Again_ better. However, I thought that the types thatsome of the characters were supposed to represent were inconsistent with those characters' portrayal and actions. Kevin (played by Todd Eric Andrews) acts just too "cool" to be an outcast nerd; I can't see why he would have any social problems. As for Kelli Williams as Lucy, I just couldn't accept her as a nerd girl (although I certainly don't object to her presence here). Not only does she look too good for the part, but her attempts at nerdy intellectualism fall flat, and the two scenes where she inexplicably wears glasses (and just as inexplicably takes them off) look like weak attempts by the filmmakers to establish her character. They should have just had her play a straightforward "nice girl" (which she does admirably). Linda Blair doesn't cut it as "the hottest teacher in the school": not only does she not look "sexy" enough, but her character is also just too nice.Still, I thought that _Zapped Again_ was a half-decent movie, especially because the acting was better than _Zapped!_ (maybe because 1989 was a more exciting year than 1982, and had that hip attitude?). Hey, it kept me entertained, and sometimes I like to take a break from the Criterion Collection and watch something that does nothing more than entertain you.If you demand that all teen movies and sex comedies have refugees from WB Network shows, big budgets, and great soundtracks (always a big selling point with teen films), then you'll hate _Zapped Again_ (which, by the way, is more a remake of _Zapped!_ than a sequel). But as long as you lower your expectations, and as long as you don't expect a late 80s teen classic like _Heathers_ or _Say Anything_, you might get a little something out of this.
jonohmeyers
This is your brain. This is your brain on prune juice. A lot of people hate this movie, but it offers entertainment of the mindless kind! And it's good for that purpose. I saw it when I was teenager (I'm 24 now) and it has been a classic between my homies and I. Buddah help you if you don't like this film when I show it to you (GET OUT)!;-) I worry about people who dislike it so much. It means they are too serious. I suppose you need to be in the mind frame of a kid to really enjoy it, without jaded sexual expectations (and weirdoes, don't rent/buy this movie if you're just horny). Not the typical eighties sex fest. Rent it or buy it just to see the stupid mistakes (they are unreal) and the endless jokes you can get from it. Classic! It's genius. So bad it's good. For instance, when they have the super cheesy 13th annual penguin run, then they say the key club has held the title since the 40's or something, IT JUST DOESN'T ADD UP! and its GREAT! Or when they lock doors and three seconds later they just pop open. HILARIOUS, because it's not intentional!!! C'mon now! If you cant find humor here, you are DEAD or just too damn serious. Don't expect an award winning script, it's about prune juice and telekinesis!!!!!
