Tuesday
Dec062011
Dec 6 The Hangover Part II - Blu-ray Review
4.1 Stars (out of 5)
Synopsis
In this booze and laugh soaked sequel to The Hangover, the buddies from the earlier film's bachelor party reunite for a wedding trip to Thailand where one of them, Stu Price (Ed Helms), is planning to tie the knot. Stu is determined that his own pre-wedding party should be a restrained and dignified affair, but between the habits of his friends and the multiple distractions of Bangkok, fate has other plans in store for him. Buy Now $19.99Starring:
Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Paul Giamatti, Mike Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor, Mason Lee, Jamie Chung, Sasha Barrese, Gillian VigmanDirector:
Todd PhillipsBlu-ray Release Date:
December 6, 2011Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish, PortugueseRating
Overall rating weighted as follows:Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt
Audio 4.3 Stars (out of 5)
Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison- Subwoofer - 3.5 Stars
- Dialog - 5.0 Stars
- Surround Effects - 4.0 Stars
- Dynamic Range - 4.5 Stars
Since this is a comedy, I didn't expect much in the audio department. However, there were a few unexpected action beats that added more dimension to the audio landscape. The subwoofer wasn't heavily used, but it did pump the soundtrack and help bring weight to the sounds of fireworks, gunshots, and a helicopter. Rear channels were often active with chattering crowds, passing automobiles, shattering glass, and even sirens. To total presentation was clean and dialog was handled perfectly.
Video 4.8 Stars (out of 5)
Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison- Color Accuracy - 4.5 Stars
- Shadow detail - 4.5 Stars
- Clarity - 5.0 Stars
- Skin tones - 5.0 Stars
- Compression - 5.0 Stars
The Hangover's video performance is impressive. Even during the opening credits I was impressed by the beautiful landscapes of Thailand. Sprinkled throughout the film you are treated to views of blue ocean water, colorful sunsets, and pretty beaches. It almost felt like watching a commercial for Thailand. Over all the film is a tad dark just like it's humor, but you barely loose anything in the shadows. The clarity is stellar and brought out the detail in beard stubbles, wrinkled clothing, monkey hairs, bad tattoos, plaid shirts, and beads of sweat.
Bonus Features 2.5 Stars (out of 5)
- Unauthorized Documentary (HD, 25 minutes)
- Behind the Story (HD, 13 minutes): Three featurettes of behind the scenes.
- Bangkok Tour with Chow
- Not Your Everyday Monkey
- The Comedy Rhythm of Todd Phillips
- Gag Reel (HD, 5 minutes)
- Action Mashup (HD, 1 minute)
- BD-Live Functionality
Movie - 2.5 Stars (out of 5)
Review
If you loved the first Hangover movie, you should really like this one, because it's the same movie. It has the same plot points, similar gags, and same characters. However, there's one major difference, this movie isn't as funny as the first Hangover. Since we've been here before, and nothing seamed fresh. This movie also tries to "one up" the first one by being more raunchy and dirty, but it just me wonder why take it that far. I did laugh and giggle a few times while watching the movie. A few things were funny, and every scene with the monkey was fun. It was also nice to have a comedy with a few action beats and having it set in Thailand was interesting. Since this movie made over $250 million dollars, I'm sure we'll see another Hangover movie. Maybe next time they'll get a new script instead of rewriting the old one.
Reader Comments (1)
I somewhat agree with the movie part of the review. It was more raunchy than it needed to be. If this one had been first I think it would have been almost as funny. As you noted it was more or less the same as the prior movie which took some of the humor out of it.