Wayne's World 2
By: Iggy Michniacki on 6.03.2009
The Movie Itself:
I’ll come flat out and say it, Wayne’s World 2 feels like many sequels of the early nineties, a rushed mess that tried to capitalize on the success of the original. Sure, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey deliver memorable comedic performances as their beloved Saturday Night Live characters, Wayne and Garth, but the movie was definitely missing the beat the first Wayne’s World had even though it still seems to hold a place in the heart of Wayne’s World fans everywhere.
Wayne’s World 2 finds our beloved public access television hosts, Wayne and Garth, up to entertaining the masses of Aurora, Illinois once again. This time, however, Wayne’s girlfriend Cassandra (Tia Carrere) is riding the wave of success, and much like the first movie, is the apple of another mans eye (Christopher Walken). Wayne’s deep Field of Dreams type visions and ‘whispering voices’ lead him to organize the largest concert Aurora has ever seen known as ‘Waynestock.’ With a million reasons to do it, some of which are Wayne’s love of the music industry and others are to get Cassandra rocking a big show, Wayne sets out on his personal journey of completing a task that seems impossible by the end of the movie. With numerous comedic yet predictable twists and even more numerous star cameos (plus a few fake cameos), Wayne reaches far out there and delivers what he set out to do in the beginning.
Even though the acting seems to be a spot shy of the first Wayne’s World there are still a few memorable performances. Myers and Carvey work very well together as Wayne and Garth, and Carvey at times steals the show just as he did in the first movie. Walken is his usual entertaining but typically creepy self, starring as Bobby Cahn, the man after Cassandra. Also, there are numerous cameos by stars (and some Myer’s buddies) such as Drew Barrymore, Chris Farley, Charlton Heston, and a few others you might recognize especially if you’re into the music industry. Unfortunately it feels as if this same, hilarious cast of the first movie and this long list of cameos can’t save Wayne’s World 2 from falling onto the long list of ‘sequels that wish they were as good as the first’, and I think that falls mainly on the plot.
In many ways Wayne’s World 2 feels like watching Wayne’s World all over again. There seems to be many sub-plots that follow along the same lines, and as the same can be said with other Mike Myer film franchises, the sequels repeat the successful actions of the first. There are some original ideas to Wayne’s World 2 but (also much like the first) this movie picks at other successful movies at the time to fill most of its plot space. As mentioned above, the movie feels as it was a rushed idea that tried to capitalize on the success of the first Wayne’s World. The writing was weaker, the jokes less funny, and the lack of another ‘Scooby Doo Ending’ left me heartbroken. In the end, you get a mess of ideas that come together to form one original idea that is funny enough to keep you entertained, but not strong enough to leave you asking for Wayne’s World 3 or to make you think this was as good as the original.
Rating: 6/10
 The Presentation:
Paramount brought both Wayne’s World movies to the Blu-ray scene in early May. As the first Wayne’s World has seen much praise for the video and audio, Wayne’s World 2 is not quite at the same level.
With a AVC 1080p encoding and the success other recent Paramount catalogue releases have had, one would feel Wayne’s World 2 would look just as good, but instead it falls just short. Don’t get me wrong, Wayne and Garth rock out in a bold new transfer, far better than the DVD looked, but the video just didn’t have the pop Blu-ray fans would be hoping for. Like most high definition catalogue titles, the outdoor shots benefit the most from this upgraded transfer. Colors throughout the movie are good and clear but do not necessarily wow anybody. Dark areas and black levels do a great job holding detail, and skintones are true and detailed. Unfortunately, amongst all the positive, Wayne’s World 2 has no ‘pop’ that Blu-ray is known for. The image stays flat on the screen and never once seems to escape the perimeter of the television screen.
The audio is slightly better than the video but it still shows its age. Boasting a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track and a movie that is all about rocking out at ‘Waynestock’, Wayne’s World 2 can make the surround sound work a bit. Although rock’n’roll is a focus, Wayne’s World 2 does stay heavy on the dialogue side making the center channel work the hardest. Most of the movie is crisp and clear and gets the point across. There isn’t an overload of the surround sound speakers keeping this from top-tier material. Music can sound muddy at times, and the subwoofer had the occasional over-kick especially while rocking out. Overall there were some negatives to this audio, but at the same time it wasn’t terribly distracting and I was still able to enjoy ‘Waynestock’ in high definition.
Rating: 7/10 (video 6/10, audio 7/10)
 The Extras:
The extras are two simple features that are not even close to exciting. The first is an audio commentary track with Director Stephen Surjik that discusses the details in making the movie. The other feature is called ‘Extreme Close Up’ and contains the making of discussions such as the directors work and intent, working with the cast, original ideas used, and other average information. I really feel that this movie would have benefited from a Wayne and Garth commentary… party on.
Rating: 2/10
Overall:
Overall, Wayne’s World 2 is a fun movie, even though it is nothing compared to the first. Many fans will see an upgraded disc here, as even though it is not anywhere near reference material this Blu-ray does look better than the DVD. With very few extras and the above mentioned Blu-ray specs, Wayne’s World 2 is worth the checking out if you’re a fan.
Rating: 5/10 |
