Lost Boys: The Thirst, The

If you were unfortunate enough to witness "The Lost Boys: The Tribe," then you can understand why I've been contemplating as to whether to watch the third film in the franchise or burn it. Since a review is required for any merchandise sent out by the studio, I prepared myself for unbearable, visual torture. Usually, the first film in any film series is good, the second is fair and the third just plain sucks (no pun intended). There are, however, those rare cases in which a sequel manages to outshine the original ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day" comes to mind) but it's not too often. Now, "The Lost Boys: The Thirst" is nowhere on the level of the original 1987 classic, but it sure as hell puts its horrid predecessor "The Tribe" to shame.

"The Thirst" is not what most would consider a 'good movie' but it is entertaining and that's more than can be said about 99% of the straight to DVD releases these days. The film makes fun of itself and never takes itself too seriously. We're at a day in age where vampires are a pop culture phenomenon and the last thing we need is another movie trying to brainwash kids into thinking blood-suckers are real and okay to date (I'm talking about you, Bella!).

The film once again stars Corey Feldman as Edgar Frog. His character is now an utter loser who's being evicted from his trailer. Then, he meets a young vampire novelist who propositions him to help find her brother who has been kidnapped by a group of blood-suckers. It's not hard to guess that Edgar decides to assist her. After all, he's a renowned vampire hunter who gets his thrills shoving stakes into the hearts of the undead.

Not surprising, the plot isn't spectacular, but it does the job. The script at least attempts to tie into the original while also covering the absence of Corey Haim's character and other minor plot holes. Sure, most of them would've likely gone unnoticed but it shows the writer put a little time and consideration into the story.

Overall, "The Lost Boys: The Thirst" is as much as we could hope for from a direct-to-video sequel. The quality isn't great, but again, it's production gold in comparison to "The Tribe." Fans can at least appreciate this latest installment as an attempt to pay respectful homage to the original.