Movie Review: Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999)

Wishmaster 2 or Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies is the 1999 sequel to the film Wishmaster. It premiered on cable television in March 1999, and was released directly-to-DVD bundled with the first movie in August of that year.

With that in mind, what are the chances of this movie actually being any good?

During an attempted robbery of a museum, the fire opal that contains the Djinn (Andrew Divoff) is accidentally released by a stray gunshot. One of the burglars, a woman named Morgana Truscott, fatally kills a guard, steals the gem and is forced to abandon her partner during the escape. The Djinn escapes and kills the remaining burglar when he accidentally wishes he’d never been born.

If you read my review of the first film then you’ll remember how I was critical of the main character due to the fact that she used her final wish to reverse time and send the stone back into the statue. I explained that after doing this she simply gets on with her life without a care in the world that at any given moment the Djinn could easily be released again…. I guess it’s lucky for her that the Djinn isn’t interested in getting revenge.

Also, immediately from this opening scene you’ll notice that the effects are below-par. I mean it’s not awful or anything but this movie did come out in the 90s and had a pretty decent budget so yeah. Another thing worth noting is the dramatic change of the Djinns overall appearance; they must have spent most of the budget on that suit because it’s really awesome.

As the police enter the museum, the demon finishes forming into full size, revealing the Djinn. The Djinn now transformed into Nathaniel Demarest once more surrenders to the police and is led away. The next scene shows that Morgana is now linked to the Djinn much like how Alexandra was in the first movie, in fact exactly like that.

After learning that the guard she had killed had a wife and children, Morgana goes to Church to visit the priest tending the church, a man named Gregory (Paul Johnson)- a former lover of Morgana’s before he found God and joined the priesthood.

While in prison, Demarest uses his powers of persuasion to get desperate prisoners to make wishes. One prisoner wishes that he could walk straight through the prison bars which lead to his body being forced through the tight space between the bars which leaves him a crumpled, splattered, bloodied corpse on the ground.

Another prisoner who’s convinced that his lawyer screwed him during the trial wishes that his lawyer “would go fuck himself” ahem; yes there is an actual scene in this move where his lawyer literally fucks himself. It’s the perfect hunting ground for the Djinn, until he gets the attention of the guards and some prison muscle who don’t take too kindly to him taking over the place.

While this is going on Morgana and Gregory basically research information about the Djinn, the statue, the stone etc. and for whatever reason decide to tell the viewer everything we learned about these things from the first movie all over again in some quite dull scenes.

Morgana goes to the prison to visit Demarest. She demands to know why he confessed to the robbery, and he says it was so she wouldn’t have to, and admits to not having to be in prison long, before showing his true form, driving Morgana away.

At this point it will become abundantly clear that the best thing about this whole movie is exactly the same as the best thing about the first movie, which is of course Andrew Divoff. The man really gets into the character and it’s seriously entertaining. It’s the way in which he delivers his lines, his face with that forced smile, how honest and blunt his dialogue is and how other characters react to this, it’s brilliant and hilarious.

After doing some more research, Morgana and Gregory learn that if the person linked to the Djinn was pure of heart then they just might be able to banish it back to the gemstone like the sorcerer did at the start of the first film. Now it’s time for the step by step guide to making yourself pure of heart, according to Wishmaster 2 and Gregory so presumably the Bible as well.

Let’s imagine you’re a Goth like Morgana –

Step 1: Remove all piercings, makeup and black clothing

Step 2: Dress completely in white

Step 3: Slice your finger open with a kitchen knife?

Step 4: Ask for forgiveness for your sins at the local church

You are now pure of heart, congratulations!

Back at the prison, Demarest kills the prison warden and escapes when one of the prisoners wishes to be released. The next few scenes are really quite pointless as Demarest hangs out in a club with the prisoner that helped him escape and there isn’t that much to say about it. It ultimately leads to Morgana busting in and shooting Demarest twice which only makes him transform into the true form of the Djinn once more and laugh at Morgana’s feeble attempt to which she flees the place.

Seeing as the Djinn needs Morgana to make her three wishes before he can fulfill the prophecy, Morgana decides to attempt suicide to which it becomes apparent that she’s immortal while linked with the Djinn. A major thing that they changed from the first film is that this time around the Djinn needs to collect 1000 souls before Morgana making her 3 wishes even becomes a factor, why that wasn’t the case in the first movie isn’t explained.

Morgana and Gregory are preparing for the trip in pursuit of the Djinn. Gregory has compiled more notes, including the incantation used by the sorcerer who imprisoned the Djinn. Gregory points out that while the plan isn’t solid it’s all they have, these words seem to seduce Morgana as she begins kissing Gregory and they have sex; so much for being pure of heart eh.

Meanwhile, the Djinn has made his way to a casino in pursuit of the remaining souls. Seeing as everyone in the place wants better luck at the games, he grants everyone’s wish and people become instant winners at everything. The Djinn then claims all of the souls owed to him which turns the casino floor into a chaotic massacre. We get people getting killed by razor sharp playing cards, roulette wheels and so on. It’s fairly gory and the effects are pretty good, well that is until locusts turn up and man oh man does it look bad.

Noting that Demarest has left the fire opal on his desk, Gregory quietly inches toward it while Demarest is speaking to Morgana. Rushing forward, he grabs it and recites the incantation used by the sorcerer. Demarest merely smiles again, noting the two of them have studied the legends well, before gesturing, and the fire opal vanishes from Gregory’s hand into Demarest’s. He warns them about playing with forces they don’t understand. After Morgana accidentally wishes for the Djinn to go to hell, they’re transported inside the fire opal, and Gregory is killed after she wishes for him to be released.

Realising how stupid she was in making such a wish Morgana screams in pain. Morgana’s fears suddenly quiet and she asks the Djinn the meaning of fulfilling the prophecy. She reminds him that he himself told her that she would know when the time was right. The Djinn impatiently recites the prophecy to her, that the one who wakes the Djinn shall have three wishes; upon the granting of all three, the race of Djinn will reign over the Earth. Due to a slip of the tongue, Morgana realizes the meaning of the prophecy, and wishes for the guard she killed to be alive again.

After receiving a vision of the guard alive and well, she takes the Djinn’s fire opal and intones the sorcerer’s chant, The Djinn is again banished and all the victims returned to life.

We don’t get to see what it is that Morgana does with the stone but it has to be better than just leaving it in a statue right?

Wishmaster 2 is an entertaining movie with a fantastic performance by Andrew Divoff the clear highlight. Some of the effects in the film are very poor but then there are some really good effects too; The Djinn’s costume for example. I really disliked how much of the movie was spent explaining things that anyone who had seen the first movie would know. Also, Morgana acts intensely upset at her boyfriend having died but the next day she’s fine and never mentions him again. I don’t really feel like Morgana was a very likeable character. Once again though, I feel the concept of someone simply saying they would like something to happen and that counting as a wish kind of silly. If you enjoyed the first Wishmaster then I think you’d enjoy this too.

Unfortunately, Andrew Divoff does not return in Wishmaster 3 but it wouldn’t be the last we’d see of him. In fact, you might be interested to know that he appeared in the TV show LOST and I didn’t realise it until recently –