For a film sequel to be successful, it's got to either equal or better the original, and "An American Werewolf in Paris" does neither. In fact, the only impact the film has is to make 1981's "An American Werewolf in London" look even better.
Actually, this ultra-gory horror-comedy is so short on originality that it re-creates certain scenes from the original, including its nightmare sequence and the multi-car pileups. And those scenes were done much better the first time around.
The film is especially disappointing coming from writer/director Anthony Waller, who made his debut with the 1995 suspense-thriller "Mute Witness." (Although it's interesting to note that "Mute Witness" was highly derivative as well.)
Tom Everett Scott (from "That Thing You Do!") stars as Andy, one of three American college graduates on a "daredevil tour" of Europe. Andy, and his friends Brad (Vince Vieluf) and Chris (Phil Buckman), have been performing death-defying stunts all over the country.
When the three pals pull into Paris, they are inspired to bungee-jump from the city's tallest landmark, the Eiffel Tower. However, as they're preparing to jump, someone beats them to it — the beautiful Serafine (Julie Delpy), who's trying to commit suicide.
The normally reluctant Andy jumps after her and rescues the girl but is knocked unconscious on his upward ascent. Waking up in a hospital, he tries to find the mysterious girl of his dreams. But when he finally does find her, he instantly regrets the decision: It turns out that Serafine is a werewolf, and while trying to escape from her and a horde of wolfmen, Brad is killed, Chris is captured and Andy is bitten.
Serafine, who is slowly falling in love with Andy, is forced to give him the bad news about his friends — and Andy's condition. She also informs him that the only known cure for the curse is to eat the heart of the lyncanthrope that bit him.
It is an interesting premise but also one that sets up lots of messy human-werewolf encounters, which are shown quite graphically. And though Waller and his co-scripters try to balance the horror with black humor, none of the jokes are very funny.
The cast is similarly uninspired. Scott may have been charming in his big-screen debut, but he's just annoyingly goofy here. Although he's absolutely inspired compared to irritating comic Vince Vieluf (whose part recalls the Griffin Dunne role in the original).
"An American Werewolf in Paris" is rated R for violence, sickening gore, sex, nudity, some vulgar gags and dialogue and some profanity.