Yeah, I'm going there. I'll try to avoid spoilers, too, because I know everyone out there isn't as obsessive as I am, and they haven't seen it yet. So I'll try to say as much as I can without saying anything.
Clearly, the series is a mess, as it's gotten so involved in the family brother/sister angle over the years, we just couldn't get away from it. Every sequel, and the remake, focused on that aspect, even though JC himself thought it was a stupid idea, but fuck it. It's what we were stuck with, but finally, it's gone! Do you know what this means? It means that Michael can be a more whimsical slasher again, and he doesn't need a pattern. In this movie, he's just out there to fuck with people. Babysitters, children, cops, and of course... even Laurie Strode.
Jamie Lee is great, as always. Even if she doesn't like H20 in restrospect, she was still pretty awesome in that movie. Here, she plays another version of the character who's got a lot of PTSD from that night 40 years ago. She lives in a fortress and knows how to shoot a gun, because she knows that Michael is coming back.
The movie begins with Michael incarcerated again. We're never shown what happens to him after he fell off that balcony in part 1, but we're told that he was apprehended later, and has been in his typical catatonic state ever since. Eerie coincidences and convenient screenwriting break him out, and he ventures back to Haddonfield for one last scare.
The great part is that he has no rhyme or reason. Once he slips into his familiar getup, he carries on like it was 1978 again, and he's on a rampage. He's not even out to get Laurie, but she crosses his path because she's the one trying to find him. I really like that they were able to clear up all those dependencies, and let him run wild.
John Carpenter's score was pretty damn cool, too. This is stylistically the most similar film to the first movie. There are a bunch of cool homages in there, like the opening credits, "Mrs. Elrod", mention of a "Lonny" (assumed to be the same from H1, "Hey Lonny! Get yo' ass away from there!"), plus those damn Silver Shamrock masks! Hell, I think I even saw some similarities to RZ's movies. Not sure if that's a good thing. đĻ Even if they disregard all of these movies, they still throw nods at them.
One thing I was surprised to see no mention of was the Myers house. It just ain't there.
Overall, the movie works. Carpenter's score, Jamie Lee has a purpose, the actor playing Michael is spot-on, and the supporting characters are (mostly) interesting. Some of them are pretty dumb though, and you know they're there for a body count. Usually, I hate kids in movies, but there was a cool black kid in here that deserves his own movie.
I don't think the movie is perfect, but it's probably the best Halloween sequel we're ever going to get. I think it would be great if they never made another one, but I'm sure they will, because that's what they do.