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The Skulls

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The Skulls (2000)

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Reviews Counted:83

Fresh:6

Rotten:77

Average Rating:3/10

Consensus: The Skulls is full of nonsense and empty of good script and plot.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: At a top Ivy League college, a prestigious secret society has begun recruiting new members. One of their selections is Luke McNamara (Joshua Jackson), a local working-class boy and star of the crew... At a top Ivy League college, a prestigious secret society has begun recruiting new members. One of their selections is Luke McNamara (Joshua Jackson), a local working-class boy and star of the crew team. After a dangerous and arcane induction ceremony, Luke and other young men are welcomed into the Skulls, an elite fraternity with two former presidents and numerous powerful and important men as members. Luke enjoys his newfound privileges, which include fancy cars, money, and admittance to the law school of his choice. But when Luke's best friend and editor of the school newspaper goes investigating into the Skulls' inner sanctum and winds up mysteriously dead, Luke believes there may be sinister forces at work. Luke tries to quit the Skulls, refusing to go along with a cover-up involving the wealthy Caleb Mandrake (Paul Walker), son of the Skulls' president, and soon ominous forces are threatening not only Luke but his girlfriend, Chloe (Leslie Bibb). But can Luke get away from the Skulls, or is he a part of them forever? THE SKULLS is a creepy blending of conspiracy thriller ideas, based on the actual Skull & Bones Fraternity at Yale, which included screenwriter John Pogue as a member. [More]

Starring: Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker, Craig T. Nelson, Leslie Bibb

Starring: Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker, Craig T. Nelson, Leslie Bibb, Hill Harper, Steve Harris, Christopher McDonald, Jenn Melino, William L. Petersen

Director: Rob Cohen

Director: Rob Cohen
Screenwriter: John Pogue
Producer: Neal H. Moritz, John Pogue
Composer: Randy Edelman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Skulls

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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This is a straight to video job.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/30/01
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of those releases that really should have gone straight to video -- in the discount bin.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The usually dependable Rob Cohen directs from a ludicrous script.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

It’s amazing that so many viewers were still seated by the time the end credits began to roll.

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
03/10/07
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

Initially tolerable but increasingly stupid.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/05/07
Lisa Alspector
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader

The movie's unintentionally played like a comedy all the way.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out

...above-average teen thriller.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

It is so unbelievably ludicrous that I couldn't help but think that it was intentional despite Rob Cohen's constant attempts to convince me otherwise.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/22/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

[Cohen] has a knack for making the most ridiculous material suspenseful.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

A dark, stupid tale.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

The filmmakers would rather exploit and inflame a class war than deconstruct it.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Ron Wells
Film Threat

Through pure mismanagement, The Skulls bungles a rich seam of material.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Xan Brooks
Xan Brooks
Sight and Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
10/20/02
Hollywood.com

With large amounts of alcohol and the right friends, it might be a Mystery Science Theater 3000-level hoot. Otherwise, The Skulls is a crime against humanity.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
08/26/02
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

Empty-headed piffle.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

In an otherwise boneheaded hour and a half of intrigue and silliness, The Skulls does offer one of the more memorable lines of dialogue in recent movies.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/22/02
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

I guess it wouldn't have been enough to just make an intelligent and gripping drama about Ivy League secret societies. No, we had to have a murder, coverup, good guys, bad guys, and so on.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Would be scary if it weren't so stupid.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/10/01
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

If there was an Oscar for the Silliest Movie Category, then The Skulls might be in with a good chance of winning.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Ben Falk
Ben Falk
BBC

Gleefully plunges through the silliness with remarkable conviction; there's a thrill to be had. Time and money are rarely wasted in such entertaining and inoffensive ways.

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
03/24/01
Chuck Rudolph
Chuck Rudolph
Matinee Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

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Director Rob Cohen, best known for movies like "The Skulls," "The Fast and the Furious," and "xXx," has signed on to direct a prison thriller... More...

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