don't get me wrong. i love the original jennifer's body, possibly more than the next person. so i'm coming from a place of admiration when i say that making a sequel takes away from the already well-executed allegory of the first film.
everyone is entitled to their own interpretation. that being said, it's widely accepted that jennifer being sacrificed serves as a thematic mirror for sexual trauma. she was a girl possessed. her autonomy was stripped away. she was made to carry out demonically horrendous acts. her world ended right then and there. she quite literally wasn't the same person anymore. after going through something detrimental, it's how many people describe feeling. so, intentional or not, this parallel brings so much more depth to the storyline.
even though her physical body dosen't drop dead until much later in the film, it was still a direct effect of what the band did to her. making a sequel wherein she returns as seemingly herself feels redundant. her death, though messy and tragic, provided her character with a clean and conclusive ending. it was the only way what was happening to jennifer could be stopped and now she's thrown back together to live through more, for what, kicks? it defeats the sacrificial lamb narrative, the irony of her dying for a group of losers' shallow wish.
i feel the same way about characters like jane hopper, whose death was also made to be ambiguous and questioned. as much as i love her dearly, other characters canonically see her wandering the world alone and never being fully satisfied. the last scene we see her in features her looking off into the distance at two waterfalls, when she's only ever wanted to live someplace with three. it was a conscious decision made by the writers, considering they could've easily edited a third one in and fulfill her wish. all she can do is sigh and ground herself in that reality.
i worry something similar will happen to jennifer. that she won't be able to find her footing after her supposed-death-experience. not to mention continuity wise, she'd have to face the federal consequences of cannibalizing those boys.
these are just some thoughts i've had since the announcement of a second part. i'm open to discussion, so feel free to share your own! i'm personally enamored by the unlikely possibility of jenn spending the entirety of the film as needy's hallucination. and hey, beyond excited to have megan and amanda together on my screen again :-) i will not be surprised in the slightest if i end up loving the film, i mean, come on! imagine if your lesbian awakening had a sequel and they literally revive your fave to undoom your yuri. it dosen't get any better than that.
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