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Movies / On DVD / The Skulls
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

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 comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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This is almost mesmerisingly bad.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This movie is so damn predictable.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
02/14/01
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

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

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

A mindless thriller.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

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

The Skulls is such a generic, automatic-pilot movie -- seemingly stitched together out of disconnected outtakes from the USA Network archive.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.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

A good movie gets you hooked by introducing a fascinating story, likeable characters or thrilling action. The Skulls has none of these.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

When material is this silly, you're better off making fun of it than going down the solemnly ridiculous path Jackson chooses.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

A secret society so powerful it can get away with murder. A secret society so exclusive it firebrands everyone who joins with its mark. A secret society so secret... it has a big logo up on top of the building!?

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

The writing is so bad that it's impossible not to laugh out loud at scenes intended to be scary or serious.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press

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

The Skulls is less interested in politics than in profitably flattering the suspicions and resentments of its intended teenage audience.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Some movies are moron movies without seeming to know it, which can be charmingly pathetic or just dumbfounding.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

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

...above-average teen thriller.

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

This movie never really gets off the ground.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Skulls

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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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