sequel – Page 4 – We Are Movie Geeks

INSIDE OUT 2- Review

Well, now we’re in “prime” Summer movie season mode as one of the big “crowd-pleasing” studios drops its 28th feature film into the multiplexes this weekend. Oh, and it is truly animated with eye-popping visuals and splendid imaginative designs. And after the animal stars dominating the cartoon landscape this year with Kung Fu Panda and Garfield, we’re focusing on a human being, Well, mostly what’s going on in this teenager’s head, so we’re revisiting a set of creatures based on emotions and meeting a bunch of new “feelings”. Of course, I’m speaking of Pixar, who have decided to produce a sequel to a much-admired Oscar-winning 2015 “dramedy/fantasy”, after several interesting original flicks like SOUL, TURNING RED, and ELEMENTAL (so don’t think they’re just exploiting their “IP”). Yes, it’s been nine years, but animation can “tweak” time, so it’s only been a couple of years since we’ve checked in with that young woman named Riley. And there’s a lot going on at her brain’s control center at the start of INSIDE OUT 2.

But there are lots of familiar faces and emotions pushing buttons at “the board”. Joy (voice of Amy Poehler) is still mainly in charge, aided by Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira). As for Riley( Kensington Tallman), she’s enjoying the last year of grade school playing alongside best pals Grace and Bree on the school’s championship-bound hockey team, the Foghorns. Joy believes a bit part of her success is Riley’s developing “Sense of Self”, a glowing sculpture that emits phrases like “I’m a good person”, which is proudly on display in the control room (Joy made room for it by creating a “launching device’ that hurls “bad” memories way to the back of the brain). The last Summer before high school looks to be even better when Coach Roberts (Yvette Nicole Brown) of the high school’s team the Firehawks, invites Riley and her pals to be part of a hockey camp. It’s quite a lot to dream about, but the emotions’ slumber is interrupted by a loud siren from a flashing red light on the board. Oh no, “puberty’ has “hit”! As Joy and her crew scramble, a construction team bursts through a wall. After the control board is”upgraded”, a new set of emotions arrive. There’s Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and their leader, Anxiety (Maya Hawke). During the chaos, Riley learns that Bree and Grace will be going to different high schools. That bad news is offset by the fact that the star Firehawks player, the ultra-cool Valentina (Lilimar) will also be at the hockey camp. This “ramps up” the rivalry between Joy and Anxiety leading to the SOS being flung to the bad memory “dump” just before the hulking Embarrassment stuffs Joy’s team into a jar to be taken far away to a dark vault, and eventually forgotten. Can they escape, retrieve the SOS, and “take back” the control board before Anxiety guides Riley into some terrible decisions? Oh oh, it all rests on the slumped shoulders of Sadness!

Quite an impressive roster of performers has been assembled to give these emotions distinct voices. As for the returning “team”, Poehler just super-charges Joy with an infectious energy and an engaging lilt, though she gets to delve deeper into the frustration of always being the positive “guiding light”. And Black explodes as Anger, pummeling each hilarious retort, a great counterpoint to the halting sweet delivery of Smith as Sadness Oh, I’ve got to also mention the return of the wonderful Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley’s parents, who become more a part of the “framing plot” of the main “sports” story. Now, on to the “newbies”, which include a couple of replacements on Joy’s “squad”. Lapira is an excellent snarky Disgust, while Hale brings a Don Knotts-like jittery panic to Fear. Oh, and as the now teenage Riley, Tallman hits “all the right notes” from sweet to awkwardly desperate and even conniving. And now we get to the new crew, led by the wonderfully zany Ms. Hawke who literally bounces across the backgrounds with a frantic confidence, becoming, at times, the accidental villain of the tale. Her manic delivery is almost matched by the exuberant Edebiri as her “right hand” Envy. The big “scene stealer” might just be Exarchopoulos as the bored, detached Ennui who only awakensr from her sleepy state when her phone-like control device goes missing. And though he has only a couple of lines, aside from some sighs and groans, Hauser is quite effective as the conflicted Embarrassment. In smaller, but pivotal roles, Ron Fuches is achingly funny as the goofy 90s kids TV show icon Bloofy and June Squibb is endearing as the “we’re not really ready for you” emotion Nostalgia.

This is the feature directing debut of Kelsey Mann who truly “hits it out of the park” (maybe a hockey analogy would be more appropriate) with perhaps the best Pixar sequel since TOY STORY 2 (though 3 and 4 are also great). It’s a delicate “tightrope walk” as the familiar elements of the beloved first flick are melded with the new story and the older main character. While Riley had to deal with the big family move last time, now she must decide how to deal with her friends, both old and new. All comlicated by the “P” word in the sophisticated and very funny script by Mann, original scribe Meg LaFauve, and Dave Holstein. Unlike the recent IF, they didn’t hold back on the jokes in favor of the big “heart moments” (and there are plenty). Happily, the talented artisans at Pixar have given this story a dazzling life with vibrant colors and outstanding designs. like Anxiety’s frazzled vertical “water fountain” hair, Embarassment’s bulbous nose sticking out of his tight hoodie, and Ennui’s rubbery body (as though her spine was replaced by the classic toy “Slinky”) who’s always draped over the furniture. I still love that the emotions have no hard “outline” (color or black), but have a grainy edge with specks always moving (much like the leads in ELEMENTAL), unlike Riley and her pals in the “real world”. They’re nice subtle caricatures not too removed from us, unlike the often child-like cartoony looks of the emotions (Anxiety is almost a child’s enhanced “scribble”). And for the first time, the CGI figures are acting alongside 2D “drawn” characters (usually left for the end credits) such as Bloofy and his pal Pouchy who are joined by an “8-bit” video game icon named Lance Slashblade. This leads to some delicious satirical gags about cable kids TV and gaming (love the efforts of Lance to walk out a door). Speaking of gags, one sequence pokes fun at 90s animation “sweatshops”. Plus there are perfect puns a’ plenty, though a few are “groaners”. Yes, there are a couple of moments in the third act, when the pace begins to soften, but the “big game” (excellent action movement) finale brings all the plot threads together into a beautiful bow making us eager to see how Riley and her “brain buddies” handle the new challenges of high school after the touching, clever, witty, and inspiring INSIDE OUT 2.

3.5 Out of 4

INSIDE OUT 2 is now playing in theatres everywhere

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE – Review

Buckle up because the Summer movie season kicks into high gear with a brand-new installment of a big loud action franchise. This one goes back 29 years, so it’s a few decades behind the recent FURIOSA which is the latest entry of a series that’s now 45 years old. Oddly this weekend’s big release marks only four years since the previous, the shortest turn-around time of the four. Yes, this makes for a quartet centered around a buddy-cop duo that’s well into middle age but still embraces a youthful moniker in BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE.

As this adventure begins, detectives Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are racking up the moving violations as they speed through the sun-baked streets of Miami. But they’re not in pursuit of a “perp”. No, it’s Mike’s wedding day, to his beautiful physical therapist Christine (Melanie Liburd). Naturally Marcus parties way too hard and is felled by a massive heart attack, much to the shock of co-workers Kelly (Vanessa Hudges), Dorn (Alexander Ludwig), and Captain Rita (Paola Nunez) who’s with her new beau, Mayor (and maybe future governor) Lockwood (Ioan Gruffudd). But while Marcus recoups in the hospital, the evil plans of the mysterious McGrath (Eric Dane) are set into motion when he has a hacker wire millions of dollars of drug money into the account of the former police captain (RIP) Howard (Joe Pantoliano). As Mike visits Marcus, he awakens after a vision (involving that same late boss) and announces that he is now “invincible”. This is set aside when they’re called in about the new “evidence” that Howard was “on the take”. Mike is determined to clear him. But how do they get info on the possible “framers’ in the powerful drug cartel? His best link may be his incarcerated illegitimate hitman son Armando (Jacob Scipio), who was revealed in the previous film. When they try and bring him in for questioning, McGrath sabotages the air transport, sending the trio on the “lam”, after being “set up” for the murders of the pilot and security. Now the trio is wanted, not only by the feds, including Howard’s daughter turned FBI agent Judy (Rhea Seehorn) who wants revenge against Armando, but also by the underworld when McGrath puts out a multi-million dollar dead-or-alive bounty on them. Can the trio survive despite Mike’s crippling anxiety attacks, take down McGrath, and clear their names?

The series duo appear to be “punching the clock” as they try to inject some new life into this now multi-generational action storyline. Smith seems to be going through the ‘tough cop” checklist which may account for the addition of the “panic attack” dent in his armor (the Kryptonite for this super-cop). Perhaps this was thought to give Mike an “edge’, while Smith tries to recapture that “Big-Willie magic” and make audiences forget that Oscar “incident” (now the former “July 4th King” has to get a month’s head start at the box office). For much of the time he’s the irritated ‘straight man’ for the ham-fisted histrionics of Lawrence, now a bug-eyed caricature shouting out every line as though the volume makes up for the lack of real wit. The rest of the cast mainly blends into the background with Hudgens and Ludwig doing a riff on the “guy in the chair” clicking away on the keyboard as Nunez tries to keep the title twosome on track. Dane as McGrath is a cliched one-note thriller sadist, but at least one other male twosome gets a chance to shine. Scipio seethes with resentment and a bit of familial yearning before he flexes his fight skills in a terrific prison yard smackdown. Ditto for Dennis Green as the “straight from the front lines” Reggie, the son-in-law of Marcus, who becomes a fearsome protector when the baddies breach “casa de Burnett”. There are a couple of “fan service ” cameos from actors seen in earlier installments along with a needlessly explicit bit of nastiness from Tiffany Haddish, there just to shock us and earn the “R” rating.

The mayhem is overseen by another duo, Aldi El Arbi and Bilall Fallah who helmed the last entry, FOR LIFE, four years ago. They attempt to “ratchet up” the frequent stunt scenes while trying to engage us in the bond between the two leads ( who sometime behave as though they’re in different flicks). It all gets a bit exhausting as the story lumbers through so many late-last-century action blockbuster cliches and set pieces. I mean the establishing shots of a fun and sexy city in the sun feel lifted right out of a classic first season “Miami Vice” from the 80s (not to mention the intrusive “product “placements”). Plus the guys telegraph the big plot “twists” (the guns are taken so they can be used in the frame moments later) included the big climax in an ole shuttered alligator theme park (could we get a CGI attack ala’ ERASER, mmm). And boy, are A and F thrilled with “drone tech”? The camera careens over the chaos in some many dizzying bits, you may regret having those concession stand nachos. It leads up to an extended piece in the middle of the big rescue that feels like a “first person” shooter video game as we bounce from Mike’s POV to the almost endless “goon fodder”. And of course, there’s the mind-numbing property damage as they create auto wreckage for several new huuge junkyards. Plus the big reveal of the opening moments with Mike tying the not is quickly jettisoned. His bride Christine exists, like many characters, to be an eventual pawn in McGrath’s plan (not even a bit with the newlyweds setting up a shared home). ah, but there’s ample time for a cringy revamp of the big theme song (we needed this “pep rap”). Of course, this doesn’t matter to fans of the franchise as they see these two taking on the baddies (an encounter with backwoods rednecks goes nowhere) and making things “blow up real good”. For casual viewers who can make it past all the winking bits of “fan service”, you may wish that they will finally hang up the holsters and turn in their badges after BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE.

1.5 Out of 4

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, June 7, 2024

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Review

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES continues the “Planet of the Apes” science fiction saga that was rebooted from 1968’s THE PLANET OF THE APES with Charleton Heston into a trilogy that started with RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. The last two films in that trilogy, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, directed by Matt Reeves and starring the great motion-capture actor Andy Serkis as lead ape Caesar, reached soaring, almost Shakespearean, storytelling heights, while also wowing audiences with the realism of its technically advanced motion-capture acting and special effects.

That’s a hard act to follow, but KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES does not even try to match the heights reached in the last two “Apes” movies, instead offering more of a coming-of-age and hero’s journey adventure tale set several hundred years after the last of that previous trilogy.

Gone are both director Matt Reeves and the great Andy Serkis, but KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES still delivers an entertaining action-adventure tale in the “Planet of the Apes” world.

Wes Ball, who helmed the MAZE RUNNER trilogy, directs and the story features all new characters. The film is filled with excellent world-building for the apes’ post-human environment or vine-covered human-built ruins, and even more impressive and technically advanced motion-capture,. Unlike the 1968 original, the actors do not wear masks or make-up but gear for advanced motion-capture technology, which films and translates the actors’ performance, their facial expressions and movements, on to digitally-created apes, with even more incredible detail and subtle effect than in previous films using mo-cap. From a technical aspect, this film is incredible.

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES returns us to once again explore the world where enhanced apes and diminished humans battle for the dominance. In the previous trilogy, a lab-created virus gone wrong gives apes the power of speech and enhanced intelligence, while it kills off humans and leaves the remaining humans without speech and mentally diminished. In that trilogy, it was the human’s world that the apes lived in, but now things are reversed and it is the apes’ world that humans inhabit.

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is a coming-of-age story, in which a young ape goes on an unexpected adventure of discovery, revealing long-forgotten history and hidden secrets. In this future time, Caesar (the ape leader of the previous films) is a distant, barely-remembered figure. This world is filled with little villages of apes – chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans – who have formed their own clans, and are going about their peaceful low-tech lives in the vine-covered shadow the remains of the human built environment. Humans themselves are are largely absent, a rarely seen wild animal – mute, feral and dim-witted – who are so scarce they are almost mythic. In the village of the Eagle Clan, they are called “echos.”

After a brief scene of the funeral of Caesar, we leap forward several hundred years. Noa (Owen Teague) is a young chimpanzee in the leafy village of the Eagle Clan, the son of the clan leader who is also the trainer and guardian of the clan’s eagles, which help them with hunting. Noa and his friends Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham), are approaching their coming-of-age ceremony, where they will get their own eagle, but first they must climb steep cliffs to steal the eagle eggs from the precariously perched nests. Noa is a brave and skilled climber, but his jokester friend Anaya less so, yet both boys are encouraged by enthusiastic adventure girl Soona. Noa is bold but he is also the one who reminds the others to remember the rules – the laws – of their traditional village, laws based on the teaching of Caesar. Noa has high standards for himself, and tries hard to please his somewhat intimidating father.

As the young apes eagerly await the ceremony that marks their entry into adulthood, tragedy strikes, Their village is attacked by a strange group of apes, who often invoke the name “Caesar” during their brutal attack. The attack propels Noa onto a journey, one which leads to new discoveries that upend his view of the world.

Along the way, Noa encounters a quirky, erudite and talkative orangutan named Raka (a delightful Peter Macon), who is the last of group devoted to keeping the memory and teachings of Caesar alive. Raka tells Noa many surprising things and also shows kindness to a human woman who has been following Noa, dubbing her Nova. As Noa’s journey continues, we eventually learn that the attackers were followers of a gorilla named Proximus (Kevin Durand), who styles himself the new Caesar and the king of the apes.

Further description risks spoilers, but there are twists and surprises ahead, an upending Noa’s idea of the world, and a pointing to a new direction for the series, leaving a door open to, possibly, another trilogy.

Although Caesar is a distant figure, almost a legend, his presence dominates throughout the film. There are some impressive action sequences, starting with the one where the young friends are trying to steal eggs from eagles’ nests. The feel of the film is more like the director’s MAZZ RUNNER series but it works for this hero’s tale adventure. Still, the journey part gets off the a rather slow start and things drag a bit before a turn when the travelers encounter more apes, and the film again sags a bit later on before launching into its final, thrilling action sequence.

Character development is not as complex as in the last two Apes films, but that is not surprising for a hero’s journey adventure tale. However, the acting is very good and further advances in the mo-cap technology make the detail and nuances of expression on the digital apes’ faces breathtaking at times.

The cast is very good, starting with Owen Teague as Noa. Andy Serkis, who very much invented mo-cap acting, starting with his role as Gollum in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, actually coached Teague for this role, and also worked with some of the other actors as well. All the actors had to participate in training in ape movements, although these apes, as they advance in language, also tend more to walk upright like humans as they rapidly evolve.

The amazingly convincing translation from the actors face to that of a digital ape is more impressive than if they were playing some kind of made-up alien, as we all know well what apes look like, making the risk of either images that ring false or enter the “uncanny valley” a higher possibility. But the technical work is outstanding, and one of the joys of the film.

Acting is strong throughout, with nice work particularly from Kevin Durand as the smooth-talking, self-styled king Proximus, and the very entertaining Peter Macon, who adds a needed droll humor.

But the standout in this adventure film is the technical side, which is a joy. While not reaching the heights of the previous trilogy, the sequel/reboot KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES delivers enough satisfying adventure entertainment on its own, with new characters and an open door to new directions set it up well for a new trilogy, creating a little intrigue but not leaving things unfinished

THE KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens Friday, May 10, in theaters

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE – Review

Janine (Annie Potts), Peter (Bill Murray), Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) in Columbia Pictures GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE.

Suit up! Even though spring has finally sprung it doesn’t mean that all the spooks and specters are hiding out or in hibernation until the Fall and their holiday Halloween. And you know who you’re “gonna’ call”. Yes, it’s the return of a much-beloved film franchise, opting for an “earlier than Summer” release. Well, they are celebrating a rather big anniversary. Mind you, it’s just a few months short of three years since the last installment/revival/spin-off. No, I’m talking about the original, still-revered comedy/horror hybrid classic which will soon be forty years “young” (well, compared to the evil entities that cross their paths…and “streams”). So, let’s fire up Ecto-1 and see what the new teams and the OGs are up to in GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE.

After a wild prologue involving a certain NYC fire station answering the call to the ritzy Adventures’ Club way back in 1904, the “legacy team” is charging out of that same locale in the 21st century. By legacy, I mean the off-spring of Egon Spengler, daughter Callie (Carrie Coon), and grandkids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), joined by Callie’s Beau and Phoeb’s former teacher back in Oklahoma, Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd). They’re all back in the Big Apple and out to contain a long slithery sewer serpent ghost. The ensuing damage earns the ire of Mayor Peck (William Atherton) whose threats of litigation cause Phoebe to be “benched” since she a minor of fifteen. Back at HQ, Gary is concerned with the structural damage around the original spectral containment unit. This prompts the kids to visit “Uncle” Ray Stantz (Dan Ackroyd) who operates a supernatural curio shop with another OK transplant, Podcast (Logan Kim). That same day, Ray gets a client, an anxious cash-hungry guy Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) who wants to sell his late granny’s spooky metal orb. Ray then takes the piece to the new ghostbuster research facility in one of the Burroughs (hidden in an old public aquarium) run by Winston Zedemore (Ernie Hudson) and his “right hand” Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) with an assist from another OK pal Lucky (Celeste O’Connor). Turns out that the orb is a mini-prison for a centuries-old demonic entity that uses fear and ice to try to enslave the globe. When it gets loose, can the combined ghostbusting crews including Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) save the citizens of Manhatten from becoming frozen encased “people-cicles”?

Sure, it’s great that the 84′ team is more integrated into the story than in AFTERLIFE, but it makes all the characters input severely reduced in order to avoid going over the two-hour mark, Still, most of the roster makes an effort to build on the earlier entry. Although Phoebe is put on the sidelines for the second act, Ms. Grace brings more depth to the standard “teen brainiac” as she hurries into adulthood. This lets us in on a secret friendship she’s forged with a (sorry Casper) friendly ghost, more than a century-old teen Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), a chess partner in the pre-dawn Central Park. Their bond is strong though Phoebe knows that will end soon. Rudd exudes lots of his energetic charm as Gary, though the romance with Coon’s Claire doesn’t have the sparks that flew in Oklahoma. Wolfhard is the surly teen who just wants the keys to Ecto-1 and finds a nemesis in a familiar green glutenous ghost. Ackroyd appears to be having a grand time rattling off paranormal trivia and finds a great new screen partner in the always entertaining Patton Oswalt as a translator of ancient languages. The most laughs in the surprisingly somber flick are generated by Nanjiani as the on-the-make slacker who finds that embracing his heroic heritage is more rewarding than cashing in on his heirlooms. He even holds the comedic focus sharing a scene with Murray, who doesn’t seem to be that invested in his two extended cameos (maybe he’s there in tribute to his late co-star and directing pal…and a chunk o’ change). And Atherton remains a perfect patsy and an irritating “wet blanket” as Peck (now that’s a long trek from the EPA to the mayor’s office). Hudson is still an MVP along with (and welcome back) Ms. Potts.

Taking over the director’s chair is a screenwriter from the last film, Gil Kenan who also co-writes this time with Jason Reitman. Wisely he takes the action out of the “dustbowl” and returns to the zany playground of NYC, making it look as though it’s not that different from the ’80s. Plus that nifty prologue and the first “bust” remind us of the pleasures of the whole franchise. Unfortunately, the flick hits a long lull as the “pieces” are put into place for the big effects finale. The idea of an unlikely friendship between “buster” and ghost is intriguing, but it merely becomes a “plot device” to hasten disaster. Back to those effects, the producers do a fairly decent job of replicating the practical effects of the first two flicks with the new CGI tech and manage to make many of the spirits very scary and gruesome. And it’s all put to use in a finale “throwdown” that feels a touch cramped as it’s all within one building rather the bustling streets or the towering skyline, with one character doing the whole superhero shooting power from the fingertips thingee. Speaking of, comic book films have been accused of indulging in too much “fan service”. This film says, “Hold my beer..er..Ecto Hi-C”. We get a phony news report that not only uses footage from those previous flicks but includes the music video and clips from the merchandising commercials (toys, cereals, etc.). Then throughout the film, the Elmer Bernstein music cues are hit hard and often (the piano, then the the therimen, then both with the horns). And like most current franchises, there’s a mid-credits bonus scene that’s just “meh”. But the hardcore fans will be delighted, though any “newbies” seeing this somewhat lackluster outing won’t be shopping for their own jumpsuits and proton packs after taking in GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE. On your way out, don’t slip on the “slime”…

2.5 out of 4

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE is now playing in theatres everywhere

KUNG FU PANDA 4 – Review

Since we’re nearly into Spring Break season for students, the studios are gearing up to release some sequels (usually a Summer staple). I suppose you could consider last weekend’s DUNE: PART TWO a sequel, though it’s really the conclusion of the original story. Ah, but this weekend’s big studio release is the latest entry in a “tentpole”, a franchise that’s now a teenager (sweet sixteen). Plus it’s an “all-ages” series with a”PG” rating that parents are always searching for (he’s been MIA at the multiplex for eight years now). It’s not from the “Mouse House”, but rather their biggest animation rival for a time. And this was the character they created that truly worked for me (I’m not a fan of the look of the big green ogre’s exploits). Watch out, and hold on to your snacks, as Master Po is back, and hungry as always, in KUNG FU PANDA 4. Skadoosh!!

This new adventure begins with a “call back” of sorts when some hard-working mineral minors are menaced by an old foe who should be chilling in the afterlife. Cut from the prologue to the happy patrons of the noodle shop run by Mr. Ping (voice of James Hong) and Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) who are thrilled to meet the Dragon Warrior himself, Po (Jack Black). But the festivities are cut short by a surprise visit from Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). It seems that it’s time for Po to step up into the role of the spiritual leader of the valley creating the need for a new DW. Auditions are held, but Po isn’t quite ready to decide. Things get more complicated when he stops a skilled “sneak thief, a fox named Zhen (Awkwafina) from looting the Jade Museum. After she’s handed over to the jailer, those miners, from the opening scene, arrive to beg for help. Po is baffled that an old foe is back until Zhen mentions that this is the work of the shape-shifting master criminal The Chameleon (Viola Davis). Naturally, Zhen can lead Po right to her. The fox is put into his custody and soon the duo are on the way to her hometown, the bustling Juniper City. Along the way, they must hire a boat to take them across the vast sea. Unfortunately, the captain of such a vessel, is at a truly dangerous “dive bar”, the “Happy Rabbit”. But the danger really kicks (get it) in J.C. as they earn the wrath of the local police while trying to enlist the aid of Zhen’s old cohorts in the “Den of Thieves”. And with Ping and Li only a few hours behind him, can Po keep them all out of danger and defeat the devious, cunning Chameleon, or will his new temporary partner (the “Furious Five” are all battling evil elsewhere) pull a “fast one” on the lovable ursine?

So how can an actor be so energetic in a role he’s been “voicing” since 2008? Answer me that, Mr. Black! Perhaps that’s a big part of the near-universal appeal of the panda named Po. But it’s not all “hollerin’ and whoopin’ it up”, as Black shows us the sweet side of the bear, even giving us a touch of the caring teacher. That’s especially the case in his scenes with Zhen, whose streetwise, fast-talkin’ delivery comes from the very busy Awkwafina (this is her second Dreamworks character). Her wisecracks and “burns” keep pace with the fox’s manic slapstick, although we get some dramatic shading in the big finale. And the two are a terrific team, almost matched by Hong and Cranston as the two bickering but united “daddies”, an animalized “odd couple”. Well, there’s a third papa if you consider Hoffman’s Shifu who is still a perfect peeved straight man, er…red panda, to the exasperating Po. The story also benefits from a couple of inspired new voice actors. Ke Huy Quan is quite engaging as Zhen’s former “father figure” Han, the armadillo-like (a Sunda pangolin to be precise) who rolls about the underground lair of the underworld. It’s been said that a great villain reflects on the hero, and Davis is a treat as the regal, silky, sneering Chameleon who imbues venom into every command and taunt.

Making this sprawling action/fantasy yarn proved to be a task for two terrific directors, Stephanie Stine and Mike Mitchell, who deliver the comedy and the pathos with equal aplomb. The staging of the stunt setpieces is truly amazing, defying gravity and using it as another threat, as in the big brawl in the pub teetering on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea (one character even asks, “Who thought this was a good location?”). The directing duo also guided an army of tremendous artisans in the look of the environments (Juniper City dazzles above and below ground) and the design of the new characters from shifty alligators to snarling wolves and even a trio of sadistic bunnies (shades of that white rabbit that bedeviled those Holy grail seekers). I was especially impressed by the constant flow of Juniper City foot (well paw and claw) traffic. The artistry is enhanced by a clever script that sports a few wild twists and a big finale that salutes the previous big-screen epics. Sure, some will be missing the “Furious Five”, but those returning characters and the new friends and enemies more than “take up the slack”. If desired this is a great send-off for the series, even as the end credits hint at a possible new direction(s). If we return to the Valley of Peace, audiences will be “pleased as Po” if they’re as well done (ala Ping’s noodles) as KUNG FU PANDA 4.

3 Out of 4

KUNG FU PANDA 4 is now playing in theatres everywhere

CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET – Review

So, since we’re deep into the holiday season (the biggie is just ten days away), what better time to revisit some old friends? And it really has been a long stretch, actually more than twenty years. That’s quite a gap between sequels, especially in animation where franchises seem to abound almost annually. Yes, the decades set this flick apart, but also its style. It’s not drawn at the old “light-desk’ nor is fashioned from pixels via an army of computers. This piece would truly be considered “old school’ as it returns to the techniques of “stop-motion animation”, which has been a cinema staple for over a hundred years. These days it’s mainly employed in the service of “selling” in TV commercials or the occasional TV special. But these wacky “wizards of clay” at Aardman (the main characters are molded and sculpted) are masters of this time-consuming craft and they’re returning to bring back some fine feathered friends (and some human foes) in CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET.

The plot of this fable explores what comes next post “they all lived happily ever after”. At the conclusion of the 200 original, Rocky the rooster, and the hens escaped the terrible Tweedy Farm. And they’ve been living peacefully on an island, far from the shore of the countryside. Ginger (voice of Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) are enjoying the domestic life and are delighted when their egg hatches. Soon the chick grows into a spirited, feisty teenager they’ve named Molly (Bella Ramsey). Keeping her out of trouble seems to be a full-time job for her parents and most of the neighbors. Then Molly climbs a tree for a “bird’s eye view” of that world across the water and soon makes her escape. When Ginger sees that she’s AWOL, she enlists Rocky and the rest of the old “henhouse crew” (Babs, Bunty, Mac, and old Fowler) on a rescue mission. After hitching a boat ride from their rat “sea trader” pals Nick and Fetcher, the gang arrives just in time to see Molly and her new best pal, a feral hen named Frizzle (Jose Sedgwick-Davis), get scooped up by a truck from Fun Land Farms. The island chickens follow it to the gate of a nearly impenetrable fortress. Ginger has no choice but to actually break into the “processing plant” to rescue her only daughter. But can she and her friends triumph when they learn that an old adversary is behind this new method of turning their ilk into tasty crunchy “nuggets”?

The new vocal cast (save for one former nemesis) does a splendid job of selling the verbal jabs and jokes in this new adventure fantasy. Newton and Levi are a good match as parents with different “nurturing styles”. Ginger is the more pragmatic while Rocky has a casual “have a blast” attitude (similar to many modern sitcom couples). Ramsey conveys all the optimistic energetic spirit of youth with much curiosity and naivete. And there’s great supportive work from Nick Mohammed as the sinister super-genius Dr. Fry (get it). All these actors service the superb skills of talented designers, sculptors, and animators (working with clay rather than a pencil or a keyboard/mouse). The island sequences have a warm natural feel with the foilage jutting into the tranquil lake. But it all turns dark and sinister for the nocturnal capture of Molly. And then the story “shifts gears” in the spiky citadel of Fun Land Farms. It certainly reflects the tone of the sequel. While the original film played as a parody of WWII POW camp epics (think THE GREAT ESCAPE or STALAG 17), this one has “a laugh” at the 1960s and 1970s spy capers. We can almost imagine 007 or even Derek Flint or Matt Helm dashing through the shiny metallic hallways of “the farm” (it feels as though it should be inside a volcano or mountain). Plus there are terrific parodies of sci-fi (maybe THE MATRIX meets THE STEPFORD WIVES0 and a playful poke at amusement parks with a phony plastic pastel backdrop. These bug-eyed birds are just so hilarious as they try to become action heroes. It does go on a bit too long, as one ending shifts into another challenge, but the film should keep every member of the family entertained and amusing. So, the witty script and dazzling visuals make CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGETS a truly tasty holiday treat.

3 Out 4

CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET is now streaming exclusively on Netflix

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER- Review

Though the end of the year is mainly the mainstay of serious and somber award-seeking films, there’s almost always room for family-friendly flicks. After all, there has to be a break from all the hectic holiday preparations, and what better way to relax than getting off your feet in one of those swell reclining plush multiplex chairs? So, the “mouse house” will arrive shortly with a slick fantasy fable, but how about their “major ‘toon rival”? Well, the fine folks at Dreamworks are completing a trilogy begun seven years ago when they put a new spin on a beloved baby boomer toy. Much of that spin involves music, as the lil’ critters interpreted classic (and some brand new) pop tunes. This makes their third outing feel a bit foreshadowed as those TROLLS BAND TOGETHER.

This new outing begins with a flashback to the final performance of the huge Troll boy band BroZone. After an attempt at the “perfect harmony”, the quintet went their separate ways. And now we’re back in that Troll kingdom nestled deep in the forest. Things are more hectic than usual as Queen Poppy (voice of Anna Kendrick) and “maybe” BF Branch (Justin Timberlake) are helping with the big wedding of Bridget (Zooey Deschanel) to the Bergen King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Just after the “I do’s” a stranger disrupts the proceedings. It’s none other than John Dory (Eric Andre), singer and manager of BroZone who’s also Branch’s big bro! What? Branch was part of that supergroup and was then known as “Baby Branch”! And what has prompted this reunion? It seems that brother Floyd has been kidnapped by the current “red hot” singing duo, sibs Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells). They’re keeping Floyd inside a near-unbreakable glass cage to “drink in” his musical talent. Ah, but his prison can only be shattered by that ole’ perfect harmony. Yup, it’s time to get the band back together, so the trio hit the road, along with Tiny Diamond (Kenan Thompson) to find brothers Spruce and Clay to save Floyd before his singin skills are completely drained.

The returning voice actors slip back into their established roles as though nary a day has gone by since the previous flick three years ago. Timberlake has a bit of renewed energy as he appears to be having loads of fun by satirizing his own boy band past while trying to deny his attraction to Poppy. As usual, Kendrick brings lots of energetic show-tune spirit to her and gets a chance to shine after meeting her new surprise BFF (and perhaps a tad extra) Viva who is given equally frenetic vocal life by pop singing sensation Camila Cabello (and they’re another terrific song duo). Much of the flick’s laughs are provided by SNL vet Thompson who peppered the story with snarky asides as TD (who still looks like Will Ferrell’s Harry Carey to me). His comic delivery is matched by the story’s villainous twosome with Schumer delivering her insults with a hissing sneer while Rannels conveys a sweaty desperate need to serve her as her bumbling bro. The movie also has a major role for the comic ‘force of nature” Andre but aside from being the “big boss” (and very bossy), he’s given little to do as Dory.

The directing duo of Walt Dohrn and Tim Heitz keeps the pace at a fever pitch while tossing in a near-endless stream of music standards and original melodies. And like the previous films, you could almost get a visual sugar rush from the candy-coated color spectrum paired with the shimmering “sparklies”. The CGI is top of the line, though they don’t take as many stylistic chances as Dreamworks’ Puss In Boots flick from a year ago. Happily, some classic 2D animation from Titmouse Studios sneaks in with some knowing psychedelic nods to Peter Max and that YELLOW SUBMARINE. Sure, the trolls are still “homely/cute” as they bounce into the camera for tight close-ups, but the filmmakers do a deep dive into some classic animation icons of the last century. With their rubbery limbs and big eyes, Velvet and Veneer could’ve sung with Betty Boop or Flip the Frog in the 1930s. And then there are the natives of Vacay Land who recall a Muppet spin on Dr. Seuss. Much of this is merely a bonus bit of fun for the adults as the kids are mesmerized by the catchy songs and bombastically energetic lil’ critters. It’s a haphazard plot structure (the Bergens have little to do), but adults can zone out (but try not to snooze) as those TROLLS BAND TOGETHER.

1.5 Out of 4

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER is now playing in theaters everywhere

THE MARVELS -Review

Face front, true believers! This year we’ve had three multiplex visits to the realm of the “Distinguished Competition”, so you didn’t think the MCU would end 2023 with treks into Quantumania and Knowhere (hangout of those Galaxy Guardians)? Oh no, Smilin’ Stan wouldn’t want the fifteenth anniversary of the Studio to conclude without one more adventure. And it’s a sequel to a 2019 film that introduced the cosmic Carol Danvers, while also being somewhat of an expansion of her saga. That’s because she’s not completely going solo (oh, her old spy pal returns too) as she’s joined by two characters that made their heroic debuts on Disney+. Together this titanic trio is on a mission to save us all as THE MARVELS.

The action starts in a distant galaxy as a fleet of ships from the Kree empire converge on a desolate planet. The surface party led by the high-ranking officer Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) retrieves a familiar-looking “bangle”. Slipping it on her forearm, Dar-Benn creates a “hole” in the sky, a gateway “hopper” to other galaxies. And this hardware creates some unexpected chaos, reaching all the way to Jersey City, USA. That’s where Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) AKA Ms. Marvel is enjoying a quiet day in her super-hero decorated bedroom, upstairs from her parents, Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) and Yusuf (Mohan Kapur) and big bro Aamir (Saagar Shaikh). Meanwhile, near the S.A.B.R.E. space platform, Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who possesses light-based superpowers, is checking out one of those “space schisms” as Colonel Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) listens and observes. When Monica touches the glowering “hole” she switches places with Kamala and the protector of planets, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) AKA Captain Marvel. The three continue zipping back and forth until a battle with Kree mercenaries ends. It’s decided that the three heroes must learn to work together as a team to stop Dar-Benn who wants to use the “gateways” to exact revenge on Danvers by destroying the worlds she loves, including her old home, Earth.

Though this is her third major appearance as the cosmic crusader (after a quick cameo in SHANG CHI), Larson brings an extra dimension to this story’s “big gun”. Yes, there is a steely confidence that conveys her strength without needing a “modified” uniform, but there’s also a bit of sadness. Despite the company of her trusty flerken Goose, we can see that her role of the “monitor of everything” quietly cruising the stars had taken its toll. And we see her remorse after a well-intentioned act went sideway earning her the unwanted moniker of “The Annihilator” (her downcast eyes tell us that this word truly hurts). But we see her mood lighten when meeting her “number one fan” Kamala played with buoyant energy by the bouncy Iman. She’s a bundle of sunshine, showing us that being a superhero can be fun (unlike the brooding folks at the other comics company). Temper that with her superb comedic timing and Ms. Vellani is certainly the MVP of this MCU entry (and you really should stream her solo series). Parris as the soon-to-be-named Photon is in the middle area of the other two characters as she does have a past with Danvers. Their reunion is awkward and melancholy as Danvers had promised to return to Monica, but couldn’t keep her word. She can’t be the “lil’ sister” to Carol, unlike Kamala, but Parris gives us hints that the emotional wound may be fading. Plus she scores a few laughs as she tries to hone her unusual abilities.

The main supporter of the “big three”, maybe their “Dutch Uncle, is the always entertaining Jackson in his fifteenth turn (including TV) as the stalwart spy turned “space cop”. He’s still an old school hard…case, but he lets us know with a hint of a wink in that “one good eye”, that he’s very impressed with this new team and has to control the urge to flash a beaming proud smile. He’s a great “straight man” for the “emotionally available” members of the Khan family. Their leader is the imposing Shroff, who is tough on daughter Kamala, but is also her biggest defender and a fierce “mama bear”. Kapur as the “papa bear’ is more of a pushover, but always attempts to offer aide, though it results in some slapstick with Shaikh as the baffled but loving big brother. As for the “big baddie,” Ashton projects a cool often unreadable menace as Dar-Benn, who believes her cause is just as she sets out to punish Carol while ending her peoples’ suffering. She’s more interesting than the other Kree villain Ronan (the first Guardian foe) as she has the noble pursuits of Thanos mixed with the rage of Star Trek’s Khan. Turning in good performances in brief roles are Gary Lewis as a somber Skrull leader and Park Seo-joon as a most helpful prince who has a diplomatic “bond” with Carol.

Once more Marvel Studios has handed the directing reigns to a talented filmmaker mainly known for “indies” (though her CANDYMAN reboot was more high profile), Nia DaCosta, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. DaCosta makes good use of this bigger “canvas” and stages some impressive action sequences along with some scenes of old school “disaster”, especially the razing of the Skrull sanctuary. And she conveys some claustrophobic tension in the big attack on the Khan cottage. She is also adept in the comedy stretches, whether the rat-a-tat interplay between the three leads or the slapstick silliness of the Flerken (CGI can be silly). Happily, she also keeps the story briskly paced, so that it doesn’t have the “epic bloat” of many recent fantasy flicks, bringing it to a nice 105-minute runtime. In hindsight, a couple of extra minutes could have been used to better “flesh out” the masterplan of the “wormholes”, but the grand bonus “bits’ will leave MCU fans with big grins during the walk out to the parking lot. It may not have the emotional gravitas of the last MCU outing (oh Rocket Racoon), but the engaging performances from the cast (more, more Ms. Vellani) make us want to soar through the stars with THE MARVELS.

3 Out of 4

THE MARVELS is now playing in theatres everywhere

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER – Review

So October has finally arrived and the studios are truly “bringing out the big guns” in order to “scare up” some box office bucks at the ole’ haunted multiplex. We’re talking the “classics” here. No, it’s not another SCREAM entry, since this one goes back a lot further in fear film history. Not as far as the “thirsty Count” since we’ve had two flicks about the true first “bat-man” in the past year. But it is older than the HALLOWEEN (the crew behind the last three are behind this one) series or the assorted other sinister stalkers. We can call this a fright franchise since there have been four (some say five) entries and even a short-lived TV series. And it all started exactly fifty years ago as a best-selling novel was adapted into what was then the most profitable horror movie ever (for at least a couple of years). Talk about a “hard act” to follow! That’s the daunting task ahead for this “reimagining” titled THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER.

It begins, much like the original did, with a flashback in an exotic foreign land. Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) is enjoying a vacation in Haiti with his very pregnant wife Sorenne (Tracey Graves) thirteen (oh oh) years ago. He’s indulging his passion for photography when they’re separated by a devasting earthquake, which leads to a tragic decision. Flash forward to today as Victor shares a home in a small Georgia town with his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett), who is curious about her mother. Luckily she’s made many friends in school, particularly Katherine (Olivia Marcum). One day they each toss out fibs about studying at each others’ houses to their folks. Instead, the duo explores a nearby wooded area to light a candle and attempt to communicate with the “spirit world” (maybe Angela’s mum will answer her queries). Hours pass, darkness falls, and Victor starts to panic. He reaches out to Katherine’s folks, who think she’s with Angela. The panicked parents meet at the police station where the very religious Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) and Tony (Norbert Leo Butz) eye Victor with suspicion. Soon the trio are covering the town with missing flyers. Amazingly the girls turn up alive three days later, thirty miles away. They get a clean bill of health at the local hospital despite some odd scars on the feet and legs. And then the truly freaky behavior begins, as the duo begins to speak in low guttural voices and lash out violently. Victor starts to consider admitting Angela into a mental health facility until his neighbor, a local nurse named Ann (Ann Dowd) gives him a copy of a book written by a woman claiming that her daughter was possessed by a demon. After checking out some online interviews, Victor visits the author, former actress Chris MacNeill (Ellen Burstyn). She agrees to observe Angela, but can her knowledge and experience end the living nightmare of the parents and save their daughters?

Serving as the film’s anchor which strains to hold the disparate plot twists and turns is the talented Mr. Odom Jr. as everyman Victor. We first see him as a loving husband and later father who must not allow fear and panic to overwhelm him. We see that determination on Odom Jr’s face and a hint of desperation in his eyes. It’s then that he shifts into hero mode to rescue his precious daughter. In that role, Ms. Jewitt is quite endearing as the sweet, but often exasperating Angela as she peers into memories of that past which her father doesn’t wish to relive. Plus, she’s very creepy after her “return’, much like Ms. Marcum, who has a bright mischievous smile while disrupting class before morphing into a wild feral creature who terrorizes an entire church. Nettles is quite compelling as her devoted mama, while Butz is manic and boisterous as her “wildcard” papa. Ms. Dowd brings much gravitas and poignancy to the role of the neighborhood “nudge” (“Take in those trash cans!”) turned demon-fighter. Kudos also to Raphael Sbarge as Katherine’s Baptist pastor who eschews the usual cliche of the greedy mega-church huckster. But the film’s MVP is probably the franchise return of Burstyn who commands the screen as the haunted, but still fiery Ms. MacNeill, who is eager to join the battle despite her years, perhaps to release her from some half-a-century-old anguish.

Horror vet (the final HALLOWEEN trilogy) David Gordon Green takes over the directing reigns working from the script he co-wrote with Peter Sattler, Danny Mcbride, and Scott Teems. For the film’s first half, he keeps the pace flowing while setting up the creepy undercurrents of small-town America. Unfortunately, the specter of the 1973 original looms large, pushing him to try and emulate the quick editing unnerving image sequences of that iconic work. Green tries to temper this with more modern “jump scares”, which are offset by the loopy “set-ups” (Victor is barely slowed down when coming through the unlocked front door of his home). And did we really need the nast sequences at a homeless shelter or at a home for the mentally ill (shades of THE SNAKE PIT)? Speaking of modern, we get plenty of the current genre’s penchant for cruelty, especially with a pivotal scene involving MacNeill, that’s is so mean-spirited it pushes the boundaries of good taste for this much-maligned genre. But at least she’s not part of the final act “face-off’ in which a multi-faith Avengers-style team uses each of their religion’s teachings to battle the two possessed pre-teens sporting all manner of CGI-enhanced makeup prosthetics (Katherine sports a Frankenstein-like forehead while Angela harkens back to the 70’s grindhouse classic shocker ABBEY). All the chaos and pummeling sound and fury lead to a limp finale and a bland epilogue, even though a late “arrival” is somewhat charming. The folks at Blumhouse can’t quite work their monster magic on this familiar property, making THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER a reboot with no real “kick”, and only a smattering of those “Tubular Bells”.

1.5 Out of 4

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER is now playing in theatres everywhere

VACATION FRIENDS 2 – Review

So, is it too late for a quick “vacay”? Sure, most of the schools are back in session, but since Labor Day is only next weekend, why not? And how about bringing along that wild and crazy couple you met a couple of years ago? Well, that could be trouble, though the main character in this comedy sequel believes he has everything under control. Yeah…right. So just what kind of chaos awaits in the Carribean for that quirky quartet (actually a sextet this time) in VACATION FRIENDS 2? Aside from lots of frequent flyer miles, of course.

This farce actually begins in an airport terminal as Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and his wife Emily (Yvonne Orji) leave their plane from Chicago to get their connecting flight to the Caribbean. Oh, and they’re meeting up with the wild and wacky Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hanger). And they’re bringing along baby Marcus with his new “manny”, former hotel staffer Maurillio (Carlos Santos). All seems to be going smoothly with Marcus’ master plan. They’re all staying in a plush suite in a fancy resort run by a Korean company. Ron and his crew have a return flight after five days, as they believe that Marcus and Emily need some “alone time” to work on their own offspring. Aha! Marcus just needs them gone in order to meet with the reps from the hotel and get a construction contract for their new deluxe resort in the Windy City. And once they land, all is well until Marcus spots the company reps led by the snippy Yeon (Ronny Chieng) near the pool. It turns out that their boss, Mrs. Kim, needs to push up the meeting…to the day after tomorrow. Marcus thinks he can control his pals at a big “get-together” that evening. And then there’s a “party crasher”…Kyla’s widowed papa Reese (Steve Buscemi), just sprung from San Quentin. Whoa! What was he doing there? And what is he doing here? Of course, he’s getting the foursome into lots of trouble in a search for missing drug loot. Certainly everything can be resolved before the big sales pitch meeting. Oh, that optimistic Marcus…

Oh, and he’s a constant “straight man” in this follow-up once more, squandering the sharp comedic talent of Mr. Howery, who deserves to be more than just the literal “butt” of so many silly slapstick gags (as in makes me want to…). When will his skills match the material, ala’ GET OUT? And Cena is the affable “lunkhead”, though not as aggressively dim as the Peacemaker of the DCEU. Yes, he’s giving every dopey punchline more energy than they deserve, but the character is less focused this time. Speaking of energy, Ms. Hanger’s enthusiastic reciting of flat jokes could power a small town. Such dedication is to be rewarded, but her efforts can’t make the abrasive Kyla more tolerable as she displays almost no impulse control. Who’d want to be anywhere near this offensive potty-mouthed “party girl”? Escaping with some dignity is the dazzling Orji, who is given a rather tepid subplot as she constantly reprimands her hubby. Santos is also putting his best foot forward, though his Maurillio seems wildly out of place as he tends to the baby while looking to “score”. As for the VF “newbies”, Chieng is a sneering boorish foe for Marcus, channeling lots of his surly mojo from his role in M3GAN. And the superb character actor Buscemi is under-utilized as the skeevy conman who is used to “break down” Ron’s sunny persona. His Reese’s main mission is to bring in the explosive mayhem.

Well, at least the locales are pretty, with Hawaii subbing for the Caribbean. For this trip, returning director Clay Tarver worked on the script solo. There’s the old expression about “too many cooks”, well this script “stew” cries out for a few more chiefs. The comic set pieces just fall flat and quickly devolve into shouting matches with jump cuts to try and ‘sell” the manic frenzy, all abetted by a music score that tries hard to be amusing. I’ll admit to a couple of mildly entertaining “bits” in the first installment, but the cliches and clunky dialogue (who talks like Kyla) just make this an endurance test for your patience. So, for the love of movies will someone confiscate their passport to prevent a “hat trick” after the vapid VACATION FRIENDS 2?

.5 Out of 4

VACATION FRIENDS 2 is now streaming exclusively on Hulu

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