Wayne's World 2 Blu-ray offers solid video and audio, but overall it's a mediocre Blu-ray release
Everyone's favorite headbangers from Aurora, Illinois, are back in this sequel to the 1992 hit
comedy Wayne's World. The success of their TV show allows Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers)
and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) to finally move out of their parents' homes, but now they
have to figure out what to do with their lives. Wayne's girlfriend, up-and-coming rock star
Cassandra (Tia Carrere), is enjoying a career boost thanks to her new manager Bobby Cohn
(Christopher Walker), but Garth thinks that Bobby is more interested in her body than her
place on the charts. Meanwhile, Wayne is visited in a dream by the late Jim Morrison
(Michael A. Nickles), who convinces him to promote a massive rock festival, "Waynestock,"
featuring Aerosmith as headliners. Garth, on the other hand, is finally relieved of his pesky
virginity by femme fatale Honey Hornee (Kim Basinger), though it turns out that Honey has
a hidden agenda. Drew Barrymore, Harry Shearer, and Charlton Heston play cameo roles in
Wayne's World 2, and Jay Leno, Rip Taylor, and Todd Rundgren appear as themselves.
When a film created on a relatively small budget grosses well over $100,000,000 domestic box
office and proves to be one of the year's runaway hits, expect a sequel to pop up at the local
multiplex sooner rather than later. Indeed, "sooner" was one year later when the smash hit
Wayne's World spawned the oddly-titled Wayne's World 2, the expected -- and
expectedly inferior -- follow-up. Devoid of the charm and originality of Wayne's World,
Wayne's
World 2 delivers a repetitive film that tries to follow the same formula as the first but does so
with a lesser script that features flatter jokes tied into a plot that outdoes its predecessor with
heavier doses of dullness and predictability. Nothing about the sequel works nearly as well as the
original, and Wayne's World 2 falls squarely into the realm of both unnecessary and terribly
disappointing sequels.
Wayne and Garth are up to the same old tricks in 'Wayne's World 2.'
Wayne (Mike Myers, Shrek the Third) and
Garth (Dana Carvey, "Saturday Night Live"), one year removed from their last adventure,
continue
to host "Wayne's World" on public access television. Wanting to do something more with his life,
Wayne one night comes to the realization through a vivid dream that his destiny lies in bringing
to
his hometown of Aurora, Illinois, one of the greatest rock concerts in history. Dubbed
"Waynestock"
and promising the talent of some of Rock's greatest performers, Wayne and Garth set out to
make
it all happen. Facing a series of challenges, from booking the site to booking the bands, the pair
continue onward in hopes of fulfilling their dreams. Meanwhile, Wayne's rock star girlfriend
Cassandra (Tia Carrere, Jury Duty) finds herself the object of desire of another man
(again),
this time from her Producer Bobby Cahn (Christopher Walken, Man on Fire).
Much like the first film, Wayne's World 2 borrows from and parodies other films but also
attempts to create
its own identity. While Wayne's World 2 takes on several other films -- including Batman, Jurassic
Park, Field of Dreams,
Thelma & Louise, The Graduate, The Doors, and Kung
Fu movies -- effectively enough, it flops when it comes to
working with original material. Despite the differing plot set-up, Wayne's World 2 at
times seems like a carbon copy of the original, though this time with lesser performances, a
higher
percentage of failed jokes, and a plot that barely passes for acceptable. Perhaps its
only saving grace is the presence of some of Rock's best talent and a plethora of guest stars,
including Drew Barrymore (Music and Lyrics) and
Charlton Heston (The Omega Man). At
its core, however, Wayne's
World 2 is, much like its "Saturday Night Live" origins, nothing more than a collection of
skits loosely tied together by a running story. Some work, many more do not, and if this sequel
offers one truism, it comes in the form of one of its most famous lines: "we're not worthy."
Wayne's World 2's 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer delivers a visual experience that is
practically identical to that of its predecessor. This one offers slightly more in the way of fine detail
and clarity, but not by much. Colors appear rather natural but not incredibly vibrant. Faces,
clothing, and various foreground materials reveal adequate levels of texture and visible detail.
Bright outdoor scenes, such as those at "Waynestock" near the end of the film, offer the best color,
detail, and clarity. The 1080p transfer does reveal the obvious presence of wires that aid in the
effects as seen in several shots. Flesh tones and blacks are generally adequate. Black and white
speckles
may be seen all over the image, but grain is barely visible at normal viewing distances. Certainly
not a knockout transfer, even for an aging catalogue title, Wayne's World 2 offers decent
visuals that should satisfy longtime fans of the film.
Wayne's World 2 comes to Blu-ray with a decent Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack.
From the very first notes over the opening credits, a palpable difference between this soundtrack
and that of its predecessor is noticeable, this one heftier and more robust, with a greater sense of
warmth and space to it. The Aerosmith concert impresses far more than anything in the first film,
but it still lacks that sense of immersion that would have pushed the presentation over the top.
The rear channels enjoy some activity, a thunderstorm in chapter seven, for example, serving up a
nice room-filling sound with effects coming out of every speaker. Dialogue reproduction never
wavers in uniformity and clarity. Mostly, however, this is a rather pedestrian track but one that
manages to impress in the context of the movie.
Wayne's World 2 features but a pair of supplements. First is a commentary track with
Director Stephen Surjik. He discusses the idea of making the film "smart [yet] stupid," the
importance of getting the film off to the right start, working with rock stars, creating some of the
effects, and more. This is a fairly average track when it comes to content, though Surjik invests
plenty of energy into it and
makes for a rather entertaining listen despite some moments of dead air that are just long enough
to notice. Extreme Close-Up (480p, 14:06) is an average piece that discusses the origins of
the project, the work of Director Surjik, the various skits, the humor and emotion of the film, and
more.
Playing as repetitive and dangerously close to unnecessary, Wayne's World 2 delivers an
experience that, odd as it may sound, proves even more shallow and vapid than the first. Whereas
Wayne' World delivered hit-or-miss comedy, it offered an infectiously innocent and original
vibe that propelled the film to incredible box office returns in a year packed with hits. The sequel,
however, feels rushed; most every gag, plot contrivance, and performance seems a mere
afterthought, a rush job, in the name of getting the Wayne and Garth tandem back on-screen as
quickly as possible. Paramount's Blu-ray release of this sequel that never differentiates itself from
its predecessor is, suitably, similar to that of the first film. Featuring decent video and audio quality
but only two extras, this package is one only a fan could love.
In an early alert to retailers, Paramount Home Entertainment revealed an impressive list of catalog titles they will be bringing to Blu-ray this May. As these are just retailer alerts, no technical specs or special features have been revealed for any of these titles, ...
