Corey Feldman Finally Gets the Love He Deserves in ‘The Lost Boys: The Thirst’

Written by: Matt Molgaard

The third film in the Lost Boys trilogy managed to get the franchise back on the tracks, even if it didn’t produce much in the way of forward momentum. After The Lost Boys: The Tribe, it seems everyone, Corey Feldman included, really wanted to try and take the story back into territory that fans felt comfortable with. Bringing in two new leads didn’t work well for The Tribe, and writers Evan Charnov and Hans Rodionoff knew it. So, they did something very wise, they dropped Edgar Frog in the front seat and introduced a new love interest with a knack for vampire hunting, Zoe. It was a decision that would indeed help the cause of The Lost Boys, as there’s still enough interest in the brand to see a new television adaptation being developed for the CW.

The story differs from the first two films in that it is less of a human gang versus vampire gang and more of a man must save the world kind of tale. DJ X is a twisted vampire DJ who throws enormous secret raves. At these raves he distributes a brand new designed drug, but it’s no drug being handed out at these parties, it‘s actually vampire blood. As a result each rave leads to a new vampire outbreak, and as these raves unravel across the country, the suckhead population expands. It’s only a matter of time before the world is overrun, and that is what Edgar Frog and his new sidekick, Zoe must combat without mercy. They’ve got to get to DJ X, who’s rumored to be the first vampire in existence, and kill him in order to bring an end to the world’s increasing problem.

The plot is actually a pretty impressive piece of work that allows the film to stand on its own two as opposed to constantly leaning on the strength of a successful picture from 1987. That was one of the pitfalls of The Tribe. But this story, it’s really Edgar Frog’s story and it works without seeing either of the other two films, which is important. We didn’t need a second lousy knockoff, we needed something that felt as new as possible and both Evan Charnov and Hans Rodionoff recognized that and ran with it. The end result is a film that feels far more consistently refined than its immediate predecessor, even if it does still fall far short of the greatness of the inaugural franchise effort.

The sub-plots keep the story moving smoothly, and it’s great to see Feldman pushed into the commanding role he deserved from the first sequel. He’s one of the very few reasons we still tune into Lost Boys projects. He brings a certain nostalgic charm that we all love. To be completely honest, I’m surprised a greater effort hasn’t been made to reintroduce Jason Patric to the series. He’s been shooting some lower budget films for a number of years now, and bringing Corey Feldman and Jason Patric back together for the third film could have produced a much more recognized and respected project. It could have even been (potentially) enough to warrant the creation of a fourth film. But, enough with the Patric talk… let’s just get back to the film that actually exists.

There’s an early sequence that features a handful of vampires freefalling from a plane in the middle of the night, and I’ve got to admit, it looks great. For a green screen shot, it really does impress. And there are a number of violent moments in the picture that produce some gnarly gore and all sorts of sticky red stuff. I can get behind the look of the film, as a whole, even if it lacks a few of the undervalued transitions utilized in The Tribe. And I’m on board with the casting of this film as well. Casey B. Dolan doesn’t get the love she deserves for her work here. She’s a great match for Edgar and she’s wild about the odd fellow. It’s a nice vein in the body of the narrative, as is the reunion of the Frog brothers. This little union may come in unexpected fashion, but it works pretty well and it adds something to the throwback allure of the picture.

When you get right down to it, Lost Boys: The Thirst is a solid entry in the franchise. It’s a hell of a lot more impressive than The Tribe, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. For a franchise featuring three films, one homerun, one solid double and a single strikeout really feels like a fair mix of things. No one’s going to walk off the field feeling as though they played the worst game ever after that kind of showing. While there’s still something to be desired, and avenues to explore within the world of the Lost Boys, it’s an entertaining body of celluloid as it currently stands and The Thirst can be safely recognized as one of the finer points in the collection.

Rating: 3/5