Candyman (2021 Film Review)

2021 Universal Pictures
Directed by: Nia DaCosta; Written by: Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and Nia DaCosta
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky, and Vanessa Williams
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 91 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 4/10

Arist, Anthony McCoy, lives in a massive, ritzy apartment in a gentrified neighborhood with his girlfriend, art gallery director, Brianna. His work has grown stale, and he's searching for inspiration, which he finds in the remains of the Cabrini-Green projects that were abandoned at the service of ritzy, artsy neighborhoods like his own. It seems Cabrini-Green was home to a hook-handed monster named Candyman, who was unjustifiably shot by police, and came back as an object of vengeance. Apparently, if you say Candyman's name five times while looking in a mirror, he'll appear...and murder you. To Brianna's horror, Anthony starts to identify with Candyman. He can't stop thinking about him, he's seeing him everywhere...and people around him are starting to end up dead.
Director, Nia DaCosta, gives 2021's Candyman, which is neither a remake nor a true sequel, an incredible sense of visual style. From empty sidewalks between abandoned row-houses, to the sharp angles of lushly decorated penthouse apartments, there's an incredible sense of dread injected into each shot of her film. Her use of reflective surfaces, particularly during Candyman's gnarly kills, is excellent. As Anthony, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's been everywhere lately, convincingly portrays an obsessive artist who is losing his mind. As Brianna, Teyonah Parris injects just the right amount of fear into her concern about what her boyfriend is becoming. Jordan Peele's script, cowritten by Win Rosenfield and DaCosta herself, name-checks plenty of social issues early in the film, and establishes an interesting setup...before completely falling off a cliff.
I've now seen four films written by Peele, and with the exception of Get Out, they all throw logic completely out the window at some point. Before Candyman, 2019's Us was by far the worst example, but Candyman yanks away that rotting crown. All of those name-checked social issues never coalesce into a solid theme or story. Instead, there's a rushed climax that, as appears to be Peele's achilles heel, only seems to exist to match a visual Peele had in his head, instead of following any logical through-line. The climax breaks the rules the script previously established, and it robs a surprising cameo of its potency. It's infuriating. 

I hate to say this, but as well as he can direct, I'm not sure Peele has a fine grasp on screenwriting. Unfortunately, it's not his direction that's betrayed here, but the spellbinding and beautiful work of DaCosta, along with the excellent performances of Abdul-Mateen II and Parris. For all its flaws, I'll stick with the far better written and far more resonant 1992 original.