The highly improbable case of the straight-to-DVD sequel being better than the original. It's a cheap, goofy horror-western where despite how unintentionally dorky Natassia Malthe's tough gal act ends up being the biggest issue it has is that a key element of the plot is missing. It's got the setup. It's got motivations for both sides of the conflict. It just doesn't have any characters. Everyone onscreen ends up amounting to little more than caricatures because we learn nothing about them. Even Rayne herself receives no form of development. There's isn't anything to define her outside of what happened in the total snoozefest of a first movie. This makes her feel more like a cardboard cutout than a suitable protagonist this time around, with the supporting cast faring much worse as there's no prior material existing with them that would give the audience a reason to be interested in their fates. With decent action and even some humor, the whole thing is shockingly watchable. That alone makes it a huge improvement on its predecessor. Yet, without anyone to invest in the story lacks urgency and emotion. Ultimately making it pointless, mediocre schlock that's a little too dull to recommend. I do applaud the leap forward in quality though.