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Joy Ride: Dead Ahead (2008) (V) More at IMDbPro »

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35 comments in total

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15 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Pass, 1 October 2008

Author: Andrei_cinefilul from Romania

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I don't usually watch direct to video films, as I guess I have certain prejudice about their quality. However, I made an exception for this one, as "Joy Ride" was quite good.

Well, let's put it this way: I won't be watching any more DTV films (especially sequels) after this one. Here are the reasons why this is bad: imbecilic plot, cheesy film making, zero suspense (compensates, as one could expect, through gore). Theoretically, I shouldn't bother going into details, but I'd really like to protect the fans of the first film from the evilness of this one. - imbecilic plotting (selection): 4 kids in the desert break into Rusty Nail's house and steal his Chevy Chevelle (yep, the man has taste!) as their car broke down in the middle of the desert. For one reason or another, they feel it's just OK to risk messing with a guy who they don't know and might very well be a psycho (weird, old house in the middle of the desert, nobody at home). Oh, and keep an eye on those Peterbilts ! They can go faster than a 60s sports car.

- cheesy film making: you can easily notice some scenes with the Peterbilt played fast-forward in order to make it look like it goes faster. Embarrassing. I understand this is low budget, but come on !

- no suspense: do not expect to find any trace of the high tension in the first film, which was so slickly directed by John Dahl. In "Joy Ride", it was about refined photography (ex the red light in the hotel chambers), realistic acting, chilling music, menacing suggestions (anyone remember the one with the camera lingering on the picture on the wall?), enjoyable homages (Hitchcock via the corn chase, Spielberg via premise etc). As I said, "Joy Ride 2" is much gorier instead. It brainlessly rehashes some of Rusty Nail's bad habits in the first movie, for ex ripping off the jaw of the people unfortunate enough to stand in his way. Unfortunately, lacking dark suggestion and moody atmosphere, it just doesn't have any effect.

However, there is one scene that will definitely please seekers of intense feelings: ***SPOILER*** the one where the two male protagonists are taken to RN's garage and tortured, forced to throw some dices and each number had it's own 'surprise' for the other one, craved on the wall of the garage. ***END SPOILERS***

I don't mean to sound overly excited for the first film, it definitely had its flaws: the script had some faulty logics of its own and it was sometimes cliché and predictable (btw, did anyone actually believe the ice truck driver at the gas station was Rusty Nail ???). But trust me, this one will make it look like "The Godfather".

It's just wrong, guys...

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10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun ride..., 27 January 2009

Author: warmtrooper from Berkeley, CA

I had a chance to rent comedy, Batman, Daredevil, Foreign "film", a chick flick, a martial arts movie.

But I chose Joyride 2.

It was the right thing to do. Why do these movies work? Because it combines our love of the familiar with suspense. Nobody can say this movie is predictable, and when the thrills come, they come fast and hard. That's what makes this "schlock" so appealing to us. We want those teens to suffer; I mean who do they think they are, anyway? "Rusty Nail" is back, and makes these young people suffer for our pleasure. Like eating a whole carton of ice cream, or having sex with a prostitute, after it's over you won't say "I'm glad I did that", but you'll definitely have fun doing it.

7 points

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11 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Heck of a Joyride, isn't it!?, 30 September 2008

Author: halloweenuk

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I've been waiting for a sequel to Joy Ride ever since I walked out of that cinema back in 2001. The whole Rusty Nail idea was fresh and also chilling. Finally I heard news of a sequel, probably about 10 months ago, and the wait was over. I have watched this movie three times now, to soak up all the little one liners and bits I missed from the first viewings! Overall, I think this is a great sequel. OK, so it didn't have the budget which the first movie had, so there will be some factors which other fans might not like, but I think it turned out good. Rusty Nail (Mark Gibbon) is very different from the first Movie, where Ted Levine and Matthew Kimbrough played him. He is gruffer, thinner and we get to know him a lot better. The movie focuses on Rusty a lot more this time, and we get to see glimpses into his personal life including his car, his home and his past times. The opening to the movie is short and efficient. It sets the mood as a good slasher/thriller which will keep you entertained. Rusty is a lot more confident in this one, and this makes for a more complex plot at times, some may like this, others may not. I felt it worked well. The movie feels very much like 'The Hitcher 2' which I think is a great thing. Most straight to DVD flicks are unbearable, but this director is different. Good movies for staying in with a bowl of pop corn on a rainy night! I felt the acting from Rusty was very good, and really set the mood well. There were some great trick scenes to keep you on your toes, and some rather creepy moments, especially when Rusty plays his 'favourite game' with his victims! The movie had a strong plot, and a good ending, especially if you're a fan of Duel. At the end of the day, I'm grateful they put the time & money into making a sequel and I hope they do more in the future. Well done to team Joyride 2, you get a thumbs up from me. -Steve

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5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Was not bad, 9 November 2008

Author: sumana-m21 from United States

It wasn't really all that bad. I have watched much worse horror movies than this one. Some bad things about this movie:

1. Very predictable storyline. 2. Not scary at all, but kind of funny like "The Hatchet". 3. Acting is okay.

But overall its still okay, not as bad as what the other reviewers say. Just a timepass movie. It depends on what you really enjoy watching. If you like to have a laugh while watching a horror movie then I'd suggest you watch these type of films. I usually don't like to scare myself to death while watching a horror flick.

Hope this helps!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Better than the first!, 4 August 2009

Author: John Smith from New York

After i saw the original 'Joy Ride' which was average, mediocre and ruined by second half of the movie as the first half was pretty good, i decided to watch this sequel named 'Joy Ride: Dead Ahead', because i had plenty of fuel left in my tank after the first ride. And this time the ride was quite better!

Unlike the original 'Joy Ride', this one has been published directly-to-video, which isn't always a bad thing, i saw quite many horrors that have been published directly-to-video and some of them were surprisingly good. I would say that this movie falls into that category. The plot is more ordinary than the plot that was used for the first movie, and by that i mean start, first 'Joy Ride' really had good and interesting, unique start, this movie on the other hand reminded me very much of 'Wrong Turn' and plenty of other horror flicks like that. Big difference between the first 'Joy Ride' and 'Joy Ride: Dead Ahead' is that this sequel keeps the same edge from start to end, unlike the first that pretty much completely fell apart in second part of the movie. I thought casting is even better in this sequel than it was in the original, less familiar faces but they seem more convincing (as the movie itself), they have cut-down the silly scenes which first movie contained and voilà!

Everybody who likes horror flicks in general should watch this, it's a decent addition to your horror-list.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Only watched it for Rusty, 18 June 2009

Author: Boo Hoo from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I have to admit, the only real reason I wanted to watch this movie was to hear what Rusty could come up with next. I liked the original a lot, and figured they can't do anything worse than, oh, say, Hell Asylum? After popping it in, I was greeted by a nice, gory, self-explanatory opening scene; a rare sight in today's horror films. However, before realizing his intentions, I thought the new Rusty would be more perverted; lucky, he quickly dismissed this hunch.

During the body of the movie, I was happy to see some new twists from Rusty; i.e., claiming that the middle finger one of the characters stuck up to him was now 'his property.' He made me laugh in that I'm-glad-I'm-not-her way.

Sadly, the movie doesn't really surprise if you've seen the original. You already know how Rusty is, so his cruel threats and demands don't seem as terrible as they could be.

Overall, it was a pretty good movie with some A- moments. A fun watch if you're in the mood for some unsympathetic chuckles.

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6 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
A Great Sequel, Though It Does Slap The First One In The Face..., 31 December 2008

Author: Dragoneyed363 from United States

If this would've been given a different title, people would've thought immediately while viewing that it was a rip-off of Joy Ride. I like the fact that they used Joy Ride in the name, but still, they needed to acknowledge something about the people in the first in SOME WAY. On to the movie itself, it was very entertaining and in ways very smart and cunning. I also thought it had decent and interesting characters, though at times a lot of them were very faceless. Also, the plot was very good for a sequel of this standard. Overall, the movie entertains, and it was a great sequel to a very great first. Don't be expecting it to live up to Joy Ride if you are going to watch it.

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7 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Hitch a ride on this Joy Ride!, 8 October 2008
Author: Prolox from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Four friends on their way to Vegas, run out of gas while traveling down a long lonely stretch of back road. Hitch hiking down the road, the stumble upon an old farmhouse that appears to be empty, after breaking in, they discover a car in the garage & decide to "borrow" it, with the intentions of returning it. However as it turns out the car & home belongs to the psychopathic trucker from the first film, who is none to pleased at his property being taken. Soon he kidnaps a member of the group & if they want him to survive, the remaining three will have to do what he says or else... JOY RIDE 2: DEAD AHEAD is well crafted suspense tale that packs a lot of punch, good acting, directing, stunts, explosions, suspense & a few gory kills to help it rise above most direct to DVD fare. The film doesn't match the original but comes pretty close to it & should be a mild treat for fans bored of the usual Hollywood remakes or over the tops 70's style gorefests that provide none of the things I mentioned above. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the original.

***1/2 stars

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7 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable DTV sequel!, 1 October 2008

Author: Slasher_Guy

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

There seems to be a lot of DTV sequels coming out nowadays. There's been the great ones, such as Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, some good ones such as Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, some decent ones such as Lost Boys 2: The Tribe and Boogeyman 2, and some damn horrible ones, such as Bloodrayne 2: Deliverance (Uwe Boll...obviously). I enjoyed the first Joy Ride, and when I saw the trailer for the sequel, I feared the worst for it because I thought it looked like a bad sequel.

This was actually good. Not great, but good.

Plot basically tells the story about the lead girl, her sister, her boyfriend and her sisters' boyfriend from "MySpace" who are traveling to Las Vegas, when their car breaks down. They stop off at an isolated home, and "borrow" the car. Lead girl leaves her phone number behind...unaware that the car they stole belongs to highway stalker "Rusty Nail". Rusty Nail tracks them down, kidnaps the lead's boyfriend and forces the three to play deadly games to save his life.

Opening scene was actually good, and drew me into the movie. The acting was good from all of the cast. Sure, at times, it was a little "B-movie-ish", but they are good actors if you've seen their work before. The characters were likable enough, and I actually felt sorry for the characters when they died. I enjoyed the voice of Rusty Nail also. In the trailer he sounded horrible and nothing like Ted Levine from the original, but in the movie he sounded quite good. The "games" he forces the characters are play are quite enjoyable, intimidating and cruel too, especially near the end of the movie.

Problems with Joy Ride 2? If you were to watch Joy Ride and its' sequel back-to-back and was asked which one was theatrical, I'd say most people would pick the first one, because it's obvious Joy Ride 2 is DTV. At times, there's grainy camera shots, cheesy acting and a cheesy soundtrack (especially the lone shots of the desert) make the movie look very DTV. I also felt that "Rusty Nail" seemed to be very supernatural in this movie. He seems to have eyes everywhere and knows what characters are doing, despite being miles away. Weird. The ending leaves room for a sequel, but well...after what happens to Rusty Nail in this one, he MUST be some kind of superhuman! In my opinion, that takes away from his character.

Joy Ride 2, however, was a good DTV sequel and much better than recent DTV sequels such as Boogeyman 2 and Lost Boys 2: The Tribe. It had its' flaws, but the movie had good acting, some decent production values and kept me entertained throughout. This movie is definitely worth a rental at least...it doesn't touch the original, but it's still good in it's own right, and possibly better as a standalone.

6/10

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The gayest movie ever created in mankind., 18 October 2009

Author: vdub1995 from NYC

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Would give movie 0.001 out of 10 if that vote was possible... Alright, So I saw Joy Ride 1 and I though the story was great and the acting was good and it was a great movie overall. But then I saw Joy Ride 2 (Lamest Movie in Humanity), the acting was disgusting, I nearly threw up watching it. THe actors were as if they were picked up from like a sign that was posted on a loose leaf paper saying "Actors Wanted!" and these Anti-Tlents showed up. Nik for one is by far the worst actor that ever stepped on this planet, Melissa was alright but bad nonetheless, Bobby OK, Kayla almost made me puke how dreadful it was. Wow, don't let me speak about all the explosives that go on in the movie, jeez. Its like they were filming the movie in a Military Explosives area, Explosives happen about every 10 minutes. THen the part that made this movie g ayer than it already was, The trucker's truck (with him inside may I say) falls down a 800 Foot mountain and Explodes (No Surprise :P) and hits the bottom and explodes again. (WTF thats what I said). Then at the end my man is ALIVE AGAIN and picks up some chick and he drives off as if he just fell from like a 5 foot staircase. Is he like bionic or something.

GODZILLA (1954 Version) > Joy Ride 2

HANDS DOWN!

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