The seemingly never-ending era of reboots continues with Prime Video’s newest entry into the canon, a television series based on the 1999 cult classic teen film Cruel Intentions. This led me to compile a list of ingredients needed for a successful reboot of this particular IP, which we’ll use today.
The first ingredient is a slightly updated twist on the premise. As a refresher, in the film, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillipe play stepsiblings Kathryn and Sebastian, who have an uncomfortable amount of sexual tension brewing between them. They challenge each other to a bet that if Sebastian can seduce Annette (Reese Witherspoon), the new headmaster of their prep school’s daughter and self-proclaimed virgin, Sebastian can get what he’s always wanted, which is to sleep with Kathryn. The show’s premise is relatively similar, though this time set in the backdrop of an elite college rather than a high school. Step siblings Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien’s (Zac Burgess) bet surrounds the Vice President’s daughter Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), who is a new student at Manchester College. Lucien’s job to win Caroline is to not only seduce Annie but also make sure that she pledges to the sorority Caroline is the president of to aid damage control due to the scrutiny Greek organizations are facing after an intense hazing incident the year before.
This update to the premise adds a few new layers to explore, especially on an elite college campus. It gives depth to Caroline, whose ambition and quest for power might also be sparked by her tense relationship with her lobbyist mother (Claire Forlani). Scott Russell (Khobe Clarke), the victim of the hazing incident that has raised alarms on Manchester’s campus, is the son of a congressman, something that both Caroline and Scott’s friend Blaise (John Harlan Kim) use to their advantage. A few small elements from the film also become modernized and help paint an even clearer picture of some of the relationships the film couldn’t spend as much time on.
The next ingredient is chemistry between the actors. Part of what makes the original film so enticing is despite the taboo nature of their relationship as stepsiblings, their chemistry is off the charts. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the series. I wasn’t entirely convinced that Caroline and Lucien really wanted each other. I think Hook and Burgess do a fine job of bringing a calculated and mischievous air to their characters, respectively, but I wish more of the scenes they had together were as compelling as the ones they had separately.
The final key ingredient for a successful Cruel Intentions reboot is the general sexiness of the show as a whole. This would always be a tough order to fill since the film sets an almost impossibly high bar for how sexy this should be. Ultimately, the show doesn’t come close to reaching that standard. Perhaps it’s to do with the previously mentioned lack of chemistry or even just how society has shifted so that most media isn’t all that sexy anymore. Even so, with a premise that teases at something forbidden (part of what makes the whole thing so sexy), this is an element that’s lost that, in the end, is hard to make up for.
Though there are some differences, I’d say the show remains pretty faithful to the source material; it even includes original cast member Sean Patrick Thomas, though this time, instead of Selma Blair’s cello instructor, he plays a political science professor that Caroline’s right-hand woman Cece (Sara Silva) becomes a TA for. I understood the motivations and actions of the characters even if I disagreed with them, and for the most part, I enjoyed watching this. I honestly think that someone who has never seen the film might be able to watch this and thoroughly enjoy it as its own thing. I also think anyone who loves teen dramas and is itching for something new to watch might like this, which is why I was interested in pressing play. However, if you’re a fan of the movie, this might not work for you, mainly due to how unsexy it is. It’s pretty hard to divorce that critical piece of the original from this new iteration.
Rating: 7.5/10
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