Candyman Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

By Jack Pooley / August 27, 2021

2. The Third Act Is An Absolute Mess

Universal

The first two acts do a solid job of building a compelling mystery, as we wonder quite what's going to happen to the increasingly deranged protagonist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), all while the bodies continue to build up around him.

But the third reel takes a sharp left-turn with a totally out-of-nowhere reveal that damn-near sinks the entire movie.

While the idea itself isn't inherently bad, the execution is both rushed and silly, veering much closer to outright schlock territory than director DaCosta surely intended.

This is absolutely the part of the movie that would've most benefitted from another 10-15 minutes of time to unfold, because it bears all the sloppiness of a hasty reshoot despite apparently not being one.