In defense of Busta Rhymes

The casting of Busta Rhymes is almost universally panned by Halloween aficionados. Even those (relatively rare) fans who enjoy this film often stipulate their appreciation, i.e., "I like Resurrection, despite Busta Rhymes."

I am here to defend Busta Rhymes, and to argue that the film would have been worse (yes, worse) if his character was not included. So, let's discuss the character, first of all.

Freddie Harris seems to be a young entrepreneur striving to make a name for himself, and he seems to have hit the jackpot with his "DangerTainment" company and his idea to have a webcam reality series shot within the domain of evil incarnate, the Myers house.

Of course, we know that Freddie has rigged the house with various scares and props, in an effort to make the show more exciting for the viewers; so, on paper, his character *seems* to be one of those archetypal "deceptive businessmen" characters.

While normally that kind of character would elicit disgust or disdain from the audience, Freddie is actually a likeable guy. The gags he sets up are harmless, and he legitimately has no idea that Michael Myers has actually returned home. If you look at things from Freddie's perspective, there's no harm in having a little fun.

What I like about Freddie's character is the realism Busta Rhymes brought to the role. He manages to balance comedy and seriousness in a way that warrants credit, in my opinion. He clearly has a sense of humor, and his fascination with the Wat Chun Lee character suggests an innocent and endearing personality. On the flip side, he seems to be a very physically fit man, one certainly capable of holding his own in a physical altercation.

After Freddie realizes that almost everybody has been killed, and that Michael Myers has indeed returned, he tells Sara: "I swear on my soul... I didn't know. I swear." His delivery oozes honesty; he seems genuinely repentant that he has inadvertently put these kids in harm's way. Again, he doesn't seem to get credit for his delivery.

Now let's discuss the elephant in the room: his "fights" against Michael Myers.

This seems to be the thing that really grinds peoples' gears. "Oh, Halloween Resurrection? That's that horrible movie where Busta Rhymes kicks Michael Myers' ass, right?"

False. Busta Rhymes did not kick Michael's ass. Repeat: Busta Rhymes did NOT kick Michael's ass. Let's go through these scenes in detail, shall we?

As Freddie and Sara are about to go down the stairs to sneak out of the house, Michael appears suddenly. Freddie, without thinking twice, charges and tackles Michael backward. (A very noble act for his character, and one that I think should not be overlooked. How many times has someone *immediately* charged *toward* Michael Myers, especially knowing his history as a psychopathic killer? Freddie Harris has some gigantic balls, people.)

At this point, Michael grabs Freddie by the shoulders, and Freddie clearly senses Michael's strength (evidently through Michael's grip on Freddie's shoulders) because Freddie says "Oh, *beep* in a shocked/impressed tone, before being tossed about ten feet by Myers.

Now, consider this: if Michael had time to grab Freddie by the shoulders and throw him across the room, he could just as easily have stabbed Freddie in the neck or torso, killing him. Why didn't he? Because Michael was toying with him. We've seen Michael do this before. Consider Halloween 4, for instance, when Brady hits Michael upside the head with the shotgun; he goes for a second blow, then Michael grabs the gun, hits Brady in the face with it, and then drops the gun, as if he was saying, "you're no match for me, boy."

Or how about H20, when John Tate (Josh Hartnett) repeatedly punches Michael in the face to save his girlfriend? Instead of stabbing John immediately, Michael simply shoves him with one hand, causing John to fall backward onto the ground; at that point, Michael stabs him -- not fatally, but a "mere" stab to the leg. Seems to me like Michael was toying with him.

It appears that Michael "toys" with people who challenge his superiority. So, back to Resurrection: Freddie tackles Michael, and Michael responds in kind by tossing Freddie across the room.

At this point, Freddie gets up, shakes the cobwebs loose and says: "So, you wanna be on DangerTainment? Let's see what you got!" then delivers one HELL of a spin kick that would've floored a normal man, yet it hardly phases Michael. Is it ridiculous that Busta Rhymes managed to kick Michael Myers? I don't think so. Recall: his character is a big fan of Wat Chun Lee. He probably takes martial arts classes; I mean, his character is obviously skilled as far as combat is concerned.

Anyway, he goes for another kick, and Michael blocks it; Michael then goes to stab Freddie, and Freddie grabs Michael's hand. So Michael & Freddie are locked in a struggle, when Sara grabs a wire and wraps it around Michael's neck, choking him. Michael tosses her off, and then gets challenged once again by Freddie.

OK, so Busta Rhymes makes some "karate noises" and exhibits various fighting postures, prompting Michael to characteristically tilt his head in confusion. This is probably the most "comical" moment of the film, but it's really not THAT funny when you think about it. Busta's character has full faith in himself as a fighter, his "karate noises" seem comical to us, but in terms of the film, in the "real life" of Freddie Harris, that's just his way of fighting. Accept it.

Anyway, he kicks Michael through the window, causing Michael to be hanged on the wire that Sara wrapped around his neck. So, if we consider this a "win" for the good guys, it wasn't Busta Rhymes defeating Michael Myers, it was Busta Rhymes & Bianca Kajlich defeating Michael Myers...

...and they didn't defeat him, anyway. Like, two minutes later (if that), Michael has cut the wire and is back in the house, where he stabs Busta twice in the shoulder.

The next time Busta & Michael encounter each other, is when Busta arrives to save Sara at the last minute. He breaks a shovel across Michael's chest, and then smashes Michael in the face with the handle. He goes for a second shot, and at this point Michael blocks the attack by grabbing the handle with his left hand.

THIS PART IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:

Michael Myers is using ONE hand (his left) to block the attack, while Busta is using BOTH hands in an effort to overpower Michael (yeah, good luck). Freddie realizes he's being overpowered, and says "No! No!" in shock, before Michael sends him flying across the room yet again. But wait... Michael was only using one hand... and he was HOLDING HIS KNIFE IN HIS RIGHT HAND.

Think about it. When Michael was holding onto the shovel handle with his left hand, and both of Freddie's hands were occupied trying to overpower Michael, Michael could've just stabbed Freddie right then and there! It was an open target! Just stab him in the neck or slit his throat. Michael's right hand was unoccupied!

But no, Michael decided to toy with Freddie some more, which ultimately proved to be a mistake as Freddie happened to get lucky enough to see some electrical outlets nearby, allowing him to electrocute Michael's sinister scrotum and achieve storyline victory.

So, in short: Busta Rhymes did not "kick Michael's ass." His character, Freddie Harris, survived essentially because Michael Myers let him survive. Michael had MULTIPLE opportunities to kill Freddie Harris, and he did not take them. Through a combination of luck, Michael's caprice, and Freddie's own skill and temerity, he managed to survive.