Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1997)

Starring - Renee Zellweger; Matthew McConaughey; Robert Jacks; Tonie Perensky & Joe Stevens Director - Kim Henkel MPAA - Rated R for demented mayhem and torture, and for strong language. There is a rule when it comes to movies. A sequel is never as good as the original. There are very few exceptions to this rule, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is not one of them. Now if you also take into consideration that the original Chainsaw Massacre was a REALLY bad movie, and that this isn't even the first sequel to it, you have a recipe for a very painful viewing experience. Don't be fooled by the presence of up and coming talents Matthew McConaughey (A Time To Kill) and Renee Zellweger (Jerry Maguire). They made this movie before they were stars. Judging by their performances they also made it before they took any acting lessons. It's a wonder they ever worked in Hollywood again after appearing in this turkey. Apparently the producers of this film realized just how bad it was, because it sat unreleased for years until someone decided that they might be able to capitalize off the success of McConaughey and Zellweger. Apparently the two young stars were none too happy about this thing ever seeing the light of day. And I don't blame them, they would have been better off if this had been some sort of porno flick starring the two of them. Unfortunately for them it is a horror film in which Zellweger plays your typically stupid horror film character. While McConaughey plays a guy who wears a mechanical brace on his leg that he controls with a television remote control. (Hey, don't say I didn't warn you.) To make matters worse, Leatherface, the chainsaw wielding maniac, who was never the scariest of psychopathic killers at the best of times, has now become a full blown cross-dresser, and spends the entire movie in drag. There is a plot to this movie but it isn't worth mentioning. Let's just suffice to say that a group of teenagers are in the typical wrong place at the wrong time and are left to the mercy of remote control man (McConaughey) and his lipstick wearing chainsaw revving half-witted sidekick. Man, I can't get over just how bad this movie is. This film has absolutely no redeeming qualities. Even the obligatory topless babe shot wasn't enough to hold my interest for more than 2 seconds. The writing is bad, the direction is even worse, but both of those things look good in comparison to the acting. This is the sort of movie that they should make people in prison watch. A guarantee you, if criminals thought that they would be subjected to this film they would never break the law again. 1/10 - Bad; bad; bad. Reviewed November 17, 1998 by Joe Chamberlain