14 Cameras is the sequel to 13 Cameras and follows Gerald, aka Geri, aka username slumlord though the moniker seems unfair because Gerald may be a perv, but his properties are lovely. While the initial movie brought renters’ nightmares to life, people who use online marketplaces to rent properties while vacationing will think twice and maybe look for a cheaper hotel after seeing this movie, which is a shameless ploy to create a franchise, but also gives an opportunity to fans of the first film to satisfy their curiosity if they had unanswered questions. Warning: this review may have spoilers to the first film.
14 Cameras is not as strong a movie as its predecessor, which really worked because the normal and horror story worked well together. This installment relies more on tits and ass so while there is not a lot of nudity and heavily implied sexual situations, a viewer definitely has to be more in line with Geri’s pervy ways to stay invested in this film. In its obsession with nubile young bodies, it is more in line with people’s ideas of what traditional horror films look like, which is also what makes them less interesting, whereas I think that horror works best when it relates to the unspoken fears in the normal story. You can be a hot girl, but don’t be boring, and they were except for the first victim. The movie forgot that the first film worked because even the supporting characters were interesting.
There are more characters in 14 Cameras, but less character development. While the last film relied on character revelations and reactions to those revelations to keep the momentum going, this film is predominantly about Geri escalating in his illicit hobbies and being an entrepreneur. One victim exists to act as a vehicle to revisit the first movie and show how clever Geri is. Another set of potential victims is a family of four with the older, college-age daughter tagging along for viewers to drool over. I actually enjoyed the parents’ dynamic, a happily married couple psyched to renew their relationship now that their kids were older. I was hoping that we would follow the formula of the first film except how would it play out if they were a united front and protecting their family. While it may have been done before, we know that Geri does not care about numbers and is a compulsive collector so I was disappointed that the film did not explore how his tendencies would look with a different demographic. They also added an unexpected element of humor that refreshed the concept.
In 13 Cameras, the wife was too horrified by her changing body to be naked in front of her husband while Geri was transfixed by her, which while I am absolutely not approving the lack of consent, it was a nice horror element fighting against the unrealistic beauty images projected on women. Geri is not picky. I was disappointed that 14 Cameras never entertained the idea that anyone would be interested in looking at the mom! Horror movies are at their best when they subvert our expectations. Instead Geri has been feeding a steady diet of fast food to his victims without exercise, but their skin is glowing, and their bodies are still high and tight. OK. Sure.
14 Cameras left a lot of great material lying on the ground to rot. I hate when a movie acts as if characters only exist while we are watching them instead of living and growing off screen. Geri makes too many impulsive rookie mistakes for someone who has his modus operandi for years. Even though only three years have passed since the first film, his kid is either thirteen or younger. Whereas 13 Cameras implied that it was his first rodeo, this film wants him to be one step ahead of everyone, but also do really dumb things to keep the momentum going, which is a mistake.
14 Cameras should have devoted more time to Geri, the father. What really made him interesting was the comparing and contrasting of his character to the husband. When he became a father, we saw him at his most elated and loquacious self. He was happy and interested in a child, which means Geri may be demented, but there is a richer, disturbing potential in the story. Even if a kid can tell that his father is a deviant, there should have been a little tension between his love and loyalty to his father with the dissonant emerging awareness that his father is dangerous. Instead this film makes it too easy, nature over nurture, and inexplicably makes Geri more inexplicably less human and more invulnerable emotionally and physically like Michael or Jason.
I did enjoy the follow through on Danielle’s casual comment, “Why are guys such pervs and why are there so many of them?!?” It was the one time that Geri made a mistake that seemed plausible since he is exploring a new side hustle. The idea of creating more obstacles for Geri to overcome is an intriguing concept since he really is the main character that the filmmakers are kind of rooting for, but I also did not anticipate it so kudos. I would have loved if that sequence near the denouement was not so rushed and thoroughly explored. It was the strongest part of 14 Cameras and arguably what distinguished it from other movies with hot teens in jeopardy. Please correct me if I am wrong. (Welcome Home or The Den is reminiscent, but in a completely different way and frankly, I think this film is more consistent and stronger in the way that it delivers.)
If 14 Cameras has a heart, it is poor, sweet Kyle, who is having the worst vacation ever. He is the family baby. He actually has the best story arc, and guys, be like him! When he thinks that he has a shot, he explores it without going over the line. When a girl is unwittingly making false accusations against her, he runs screaming the other way and makes sure that he is always around witnesses. Now if you see a person in danger, learn from Ryan in the first movie. Call the police first and make sure that someone has your back. I will happily pitch in on a card and a present for Kyle then write him a letter of recommendation as a good guy.
Maybe because I am black and thus very reluctant to reenact Bob Marley’s granddaughter’s experiences with vacation rentals (Google it), 14 Cameras did not resonate with me as much as when Gerald was into long term rentals. I actually think that in this case, more was less, and the filmmakers did not understand what made the original great. I will definitely watch 15 Cameras, which is in the works since I do think that they are on to something, but if you did not see 13 Cameras, or you saw it, but are thinking, “One and done” and are not a completist like me, I would not even bother to watch this film.
