I know what you did last summer

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

"Nostalgia is overrated" a character exclaims late in the new IKWYDLS. Yeah? Well fame is a prison and sympathy is a knife. And nothing, I mean nothing, can stop Hollywood from a reboot legacy sequel. What this means is we're kinda remaking the first movie but keeping the continuity and bringing back whoever is alive to help usher in a new group of doomed 20 somethings. 

The story is the same, said group of friends accidentally cause an accident and leave a man for dead. They reluctantly agree to never mention it to anyone and it goes covered up. One year later an anonymous message arrives, "I know what you did last summer". Eek! 

Now wait a second didn't this exact same thing happen to this town almost 30 years ago? (and again in a Bahamas set dog of a sequel that I kinda loved as a kid) Well yes! How delightfully camp. In fact, director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has a clear and firm grasp on the type of camp slasher sequel she's making. The kills are real and violent, but everything is SO stupid. Needless to say I had a blast.

Desperate to stop the madness, our heroine tracks down Julie James, the original IKWYDLS final girl played by returning icon of the 90s Jennifer Love Hewitt. Dressed in jeans and a tucked in Cure T-shirt, this diva is still fighting her demons and working through The Trauma. And damn she looks good. Also returning is Freddie Prinze Jr now in FULL daddy mode, serious and stern.

There's plenty of jokes, but the bones of something more serious is there amid all the stupidity. Characters do things that make zero sense and often the movie cuts to a next scene that kinda had me confused at times and I was paying attention!

IKWYDLS is exactly the kinda reboot legacy sequel I welcome, it absolutely does not take itself too seriously. Something other movies make the mistake of doing, over and over. You don't have to be precious about it, this is a shitty sequel to a mild hit 30 years ago. And because director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson had that right attitude there are more than one surprise in store (a certain cameo made me SCREAM). A third act twist is destined to piss people off but I loved it. Did I mention how dumb it all is?

The cast is fabulous, especially seeing JLove again. The beach town photography is gorgeous and very crisp. Have you heard about SummerWeen? Because it's here baby. Just please don't run anyone over and then leave him for dead.  

☆☆☆ out of 4