In 1981, master Horror Director David Cronenberg gave us the classic Scanners. Scanners was a movie about a group of individuals with horrifying telepathic powers, who have the ability to kill with their minds. This film is epic, and it is with the greatest respect that I mention it here.....Scanners is brilliant film, that stars Bad Movie Knight's own Michael Ironside and I give it my highest recommendation. This review however covers the sequel which followed a decade later.....Scanners 2: The New Order.

Scanners 2: The New Order, like most sequels pales in comparison to it's original, but it does actually do a formidable job carrying the story forward. As I said before, a Scanner, is like a telepath on crack. Not only can they read a person's thoughts, but they have the ability to control an individual's actions, cause physical trauma in the form of nose bleeds, cardiac arrest, or completely take over the central nervous system, force vertabrae to swell and burst from a person's back, and make your brain explode through the top of your skull. All of which look tremendous on the resume.

Scanners 2: The New Order follows a young veterinarian named David Kellum. David, aware that he is different from most folk, not just because of the bad mullet he sports, but because of his ability to hear other peoples thoughts. He realizes his full potential when he thwarts a convenience store robbery by tossing one of the assailants threw a soft drink fridge (using only his mind), and taking out the other, which assaulted his lady, by, can you guess? Yep. Exploding the brain. The preferred method of preventing a burglary.

Seeing David's potential, Commander John Forrester enlists his aid in capturing a child killer who has been poisoning milk with cyanide. David immediately agrees, and begins to learn the full extent of his abilities, through Forrester's tutelage, and his vast contacts through secret government organizations. Forrester, while appearing to want to do only good for society dupes David into scanning the Mayor into naming him the new Police Commissioner. Forrester now has the power to create his 'New World Order'....a society that will yield to his every whim through their suppression at the hands of his Scanners. David realizing that something is wrong, scans Forrester and sees that he is just a bad man.....a very bad man. So bad!

Forrester now must stop David, and silence him before the truth comes out about his plans and previous misdeeds. The hunt is on, involving David against special agents, military men, and even Scanners! While on the run, David discovers that he has a sister and the two of them are the children of Cameron Vale, and Kim Oberist, the two most powerful Scanners from the original movie. Genetics are on David's side.....in scanning ability, not hairstyle.

Scanners 2: The New Order, takes the Scanner franchise to a whole new level, with more brains blowing out of heads, spines snapping, bodies exploding in flame, limitless nose bleeding, and even physical disfiguring of opponents. The blood pumps are on overdrive in this bad boy! While not being as good as the classic original, Scanners 2: The New Order does provide us with a solid sequel. This movie would be an outstanding addition to Big Daddy Yum Yum's drinking games....if you were to have a beer everytime a head blew up......your head might actually explode.

Hamlin Grade: 3

Timothy Dalton is the one true James Bond,
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