Such a frustrating disappointment

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Urban Legend is nothing we all haven't seen before. It has elements of earlier films such as 'Candyman', 'My Bloody Valentine', 'When A Stranger Calls', 'Halloween', 'Sleepaway Camp' and 'Prom Night', just to name a few. That being said, while perhaps not very original, this late 1990's slasher picture has some funny and genuinely well-acted scenes, although I have to say personally that the protagonists were boring and forgettable, whereas the background cast of possible villains who may be perpetrating the campus crimes are the real stars of the story. Speaking of the story, it's very basic and straightforward: a university, which was once the site of a grisly massacre in the early seventies which has more or less become the school's urban myth, ends up subjected to even more killings by an unknown madman (or madwoman, nobody knows because the murderer's face is always concealed by a ratty old parka). Natalie Simon, a young student at the university, isn't sure what's real and what isn't anymore. As she tracks down the apparent killer only to find each suspect ending up dead in the end, this turns what might have been just another repeat slasher film into a very compelling and surprisingly well-built mystery.I would say that the absolute best of the cast undoubtedly are Robin Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as the eccentric folklore professor William Wexler, Julian Richings (Hard Core Logo, Patch Town) as the mournful-looking albeit creepy-as-hell school caretaker, name unknown, and of course Loretta Devine (I Am Sam) as Reese, the school's strict security guard who secretly acts out film roles in her own office when nobody is looking. These three of the cast are totally unforgettable during their unfortunately small on-screen presences. Sadly most of the rest of the cast play roles which are neither memorable nor original. This may of course have been a plot device used to reflect another trope in the slasher genre (they're your run-of-the-mill preppy students, the jock, the goth, the party animal, the virgin, the queen bee and so-on), but instead of high school students, they're in university. The acting there is okay I suppose, but still not noticeable as anything worthwhile or special.As much as this film celebrates the slasher genre, more than anything else it is a testament to all those familiar old urban legends, from the infamous "High Beams" story, to the "Baby Alligators in the Toilet" one. The legends featured are mostly American but I'm sure most Canadians and Brits, as well as quite a lot of an international audience, will still completely understand these many references. The film itself is actually Canadian and not only does it feature a lot of talented Canadian actors, but it also has some of Toronto's most famously eerie film scenery, including but not limited to Unwin Avenue (the rickety bridge), which was also the location of 'Welcome to Dead House', 'The Colony' and 'Skinwalkers'.Overall, this film might not impress many veteran slasher fans, but most viewers will definitely get a kick out of it and enjoy the story all the same. Also it's a good way to introduce people to the slasher genre since it is basically an embodiment of the whole genre in its most obvious form.

A group of college students find themselves the victims of a vicious killer who an obsession with popular urban legends. It's up to the scared, yet intrepid Natalie Simon (a spunky and appealing performance by Alicia Witt) to figure out what's going on before it's too late.Director Jamie Banks keeps the engrossing story moving along at a snappy pace, builds a reasonable amount of tension, stages the murder set pieces with rip-snorting panache, and delivers a satisfying serving of gore. (However, Banks does go a tad overboard with the cheesy fake scares.) Silvio Horta's clever script not only offers a refreshing tweaking of the final girl by making Natalie someone who has a dark history and hence isn't entirely innocent, but also offers another welcome departure from the slasher norm by having the psycho turn out to be a vengeful woman with a valid beef against Natalie that elicits the viewer's sympathy. The solid acting by the capable cast keeps this picture humming: Jared Leto as eager and unscrupulous reporter Paul Gardener, Rebecca Gayheart as Natalie's perky gal pal Brenda Bates, Michael Rosenbaum as the jerky Parker Riley, Joshua Jackson as the jerky Damon Brooks, Loretta Devine as sassy security guard Reese Wilson, Tara Reid as brash disc jockey Sasha Thomas, Robert Englund as the creepy Professor William Wexler, Danielle Harris as moody Goth slut Tosh Guaneri, and Natasha Gregson Wagner as the doomed Michelle Mancini. Brad Dourif has a cool uncredited role as sinister stuttering gas station attendant Michael McDonnell. Christopher Young's spirited shivery score hits the shuddery spot. The glossy cinematography by James Chressanthis makes impressive use of the widescreen format as well as boasts all these breathtaking gliding crane shots. A fun fright flick.

"Urban Legend" is a movie that clearly tries to cash in on the slasher revival started by "Scream", but I don't mind that because it's a very well-made horror movie. It looks slick, but some of the false scares genuinely work and the murders based on urban legends are a good addition (even though they bail on that pretty quickly). The whodunit aspect is also entertaining, there are so many red herrings thrown around in this movie. However, the climax is pretty disappointing. When you find out who the killer is in "Scream", you're genuinely surprised: it's a movie that's even more fun to watch the second time, because then you can puzzle it all together. The revelation in "Urban Legend" on the other hand makes no sense whatsoever, and you just feel cheated by the movie. Thankfully you've seen plenty of good kill scenes by then, so it's a mistake that's easy to forgive.

This 1998 horror film stars Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson, Michael Rosenbaum, Tara Reid, Loretta Devine, John Neville and Robert Englund. This begins with a college girl, Michelle (Natasha Gregson Wagner) being murdered by a mysterious killer in her car. Soon, we meet college student, Natalie (Witt) and her new friends, Brenda (Gayheart), Damon (Jackson), Parker (Rosenbaum) and Sasha (Reid) who learn about urban legends based on actual events while taking a history course. Soon, Michelle's killer makes the legends a reality when stalking Natalie and her friends. Leto (American Psycho) plays journalism major, Paul, Devine (Waiting to Exhale) plays security guard, Reese, Neville (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) plays dean, Adams and Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) plays professor, Wexler. Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5) also appears as Natalie's Gothic roommate, Tosh and Brad Dourif (Child's Play) as a gas station attendant. This isn't a bad horror/slasher flick with a decent cast I recommend for fans of the genre.