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Pink Panther 2 (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - MGM Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Jeremiah Chin (14th July 2009). |
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The Film
 There’s a big misconception in many children’s comedies and films that kids are really, exceptionally dumb. The fact that they make a lot of money doesn’t seem to help as parents seem desperate for an excuse to get out of the house with their kids, but none of them have any sort of staying power for what will be talked about by adults as a good movie and what kids will continue to hold for nostalgia value. Kids can understand a movie that doesn’t rely on unfunny gags that will get a simple laugh, like “WALL•E” (2008) that managed to blow minds and make everyone laugh at the same time. With “The Pink Panther 2” (2009) it seems to take that idea to a different level where it expects that kids are easily entertained, which they are, but use that as an excuse to make a movie that just isn’t that funny. Despite having a talented set of actors with resumes to justify good performances, the producers guessed that if they threw in enough wacky gags and didn’t take the movie seriously enough, they could get away with making bank and not having to pay for a quality film. Like the “Pink Panther” films of the past, “The Pink Panther 2” follows Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) as he bumbles his way to solving another mystery. This time the pink panther has been taken by a criminal known only as ‘The Tornado,’ who has stolen major artifacts from around the world with no apparent motive as none of them are easily sold on the black market. In order to catch this International thief, a team of detectives is assembled from around the globe to try and track down this thief that has eluded authorities since going into hiding in the 80’s. While in pursuit of this super thief, Clouseau worries over losing the love of his life Nicole (Emily Mortimer) to Italian super detective Vicenzo (Anthony Garcia) as Clouseau has trouble expressing his affections and how it would interfere with their work relationship. I appreciate how the film didn’t try to flaunt it’s cast of stars on the cover or theatrical posters for the film, despite having a fairly large named cast. Martin takes place as the lead role, but is accompanied by Garcia, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin and even Jeremy Irons in a brief appearance. None of them really can help the film in any way as the gags just don’t add up to being more than a collection of slapstick gags that aren’t particularly funny as they try too hard to show off how wacky the different situations are rather than let the comedy fly. At first it made me a little disappointed that Reno was reduced to working in this kind of movie after winning my heart in “Leon” (1994), but it’s probably because I’m quick to forget his appearances in his fair share of bad movies like “Gozilla” (1999) or “The Da Vinci Code” (2006). Comedically the film has nothing to really offer and only brought out a laugh when John Cleese smashed his head into a wall and a desk. Martin tries too hard to capture the fake French bumbling detective like Peter Sellers once did. Clouseau is the sort of character that you can’t try and imitate Sellers’ original performance since he made it work so perfectly in the earlier films, but if Martin were to try and make it his own, it still wouldn’t come close to touching the originals. That makes me put the blame square on the shoulders of the producers, as it proves that this is the exact sort of franchise that doesn’t need to be revived or remade. Unlike the “James Bond” series that is infinitely repeateable so long as suave British men still live, Clouseau is a creation of Sellers’ genious that can’t be duplicated by another actor. Above all this movie is a great example of how older comedies can be botched through remakes as they pursue the idea of slapstick gags and funny accents instead of generating a funny movie. I wish that I could claim the film at least revived an interest in the originals with new Blu-ray releases of the earlier films, but instead it focused on the cartoon series packaged with the set that you’ll see later on in the review. It’s a comedy that expects laughs and gets only one, misappropriating a franchise with a botched sequel to a botched restart.
Video
Presented in 1080p 24/fps with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and AVC MPEG-4 encoding at 34.75 MBPS, the film looks really clear and colorful, bringing out a great looking visual quality to a poor quality film. There’s no hints of a typical bad transfer or cheap filming like bad grain or muddied colors, which is almost disappointing because it means that huge amounts of money were thrown at such a low quality film.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit suffers from about as few problems as the video, all of the sounds come through clearly. It allows you to hear all of the cheap sound effects and Harry Mancini’s famous theme song and a score that tries to imitate it. The sound seems to move in all the ways it should, though there are times when the levels seem a little out of wack between the score, ambient noises and the dialogue. There are also Spanish, French and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks (which also makes me wonder what a bad French accent in French sounds like to a native French speaker), along with English for the hearing impaired, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean subtitles.
Extras
The 3-disc set contains a surprisingly small assortment of special features, including a gag reel, a few featurettes, a trivia game, with a bonus DVD of animated shorts. DISC ONE: The gag reel comes first and runs for 3 minutes and 34 seconds, typical gag reel fare of flubbed lines and mistaken moves in the film. “Drama is Easy… Comedy is Dangerous” is the first featurette, serving as the making of and runs for 7 minutes and 43 seconds. Combining talking head interviews with producers, stars and crew with behind the scenes footage to create a surprisingly brief making of. It mostly focuses on the physical comedy involved in the film and how the film differs from the earlier “Pink Panther” movies, stunts and what else created the film. “A Dream Team like No Other” runs for 13 minutes and 56 seconds. This second featurette looks at the big named cast of the film, talking with producers and the major stars of the film to talk about how they brought together these varied actors. There’s a lot of praise for different actors and the way they put together some of the accents in the film, everyone professes their love for comedy. “Master Thief – Global Crime Showdown” is an interactive game where you attempt to steal the Pink Panther diamond and other artifacts by answering trivia questions. Bonus trailers on the disc are: - An ad for “Digital Copy” which runs for 1 minute and 4 seconds. - “Fame” runs for 2 minutes and 10 seconds. DISC TWO: This disc is a collection of 27 “Pink Panther” animated short cartoons, which is a nice touch in looking at the larger legacy of the "Pink Panther" animated character, though they have unfortunately have not been restored all that well as the colors seem to have a layer of static over them. All the shorts can be played together for a total of 2 hours 51 minutes and 28 seconds, or separately as described below. (The shorts also feature French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles): - “The Pink Phink” runs for 6 minutes and 53 seconds, a smoking panther battles with a painter over whether things should be painted pink or blue. - “Pink Pajamas” runs for 6 minutes and 24 seconds, the Panther does battle with a variety of disturbances while trying to get a nights rest in someone else’s room. - “We Give Pink Stamps” runs for 7 minutes and 5 seconds, the Panther tries to evade notice in a department store overnight. - “Dial P for Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 20 seconds, a burglar tries to crack a safe only to be repeatedly foiled by the Panther. - “Sink Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 25 seconds, a poacher tries to round up a huge collection of animals by creating a storm scare and an arc, only to be foiled by the Pink Panther. - “Pickled Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 26 seconds, a drunk takes the Panther home with him. - “Pinkfinger” runs for 6 minutes and 15 seconds, the Panther tries his hand at becoming a secret agent. - “Shocking Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 50 seconds, the Panther gets annoyed out of relaxation by the narrator, featuring a laugh track. - “Pink Ice” runs for 6 minutes and 29 seconds, the Panther’s diamond mining operation is raided by a competing operation. - “The Pink Tail Fly” runs for 6 minutes and 22 seconds, the Panther’s sleep is continually disturbed by an annoying fly. - “Pink Panzer” runs for 5 minutes and 54 seconds, the Panther gets into a feud with his neighbor thanks to the narrator’s prodding. - “An Ounce of Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 16 seconds, the Purchases an annoying ‘Guess Your Weight’ machine. - “Reel Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 20 seconds, the Panther goes fishing. - “Bully for Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 7 seconds, the Pink Panther tries his hand at bullfighting. - “Pink Punch” runs for 3 minutes and 31 seconds, the Panther combats a green mark on his punch sign. - “Pink Pistons” runs for 6 minutes and 6 seconds, the Panther buys a new and unruly car. - “Vitamin Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 29 seconds, the Panther tries to sell a miracle pill. - “The Pink Blueprint” runs for 6 minutes and 29 seconds, the Panther keeps messing with a homebuilder’s plans. - “Pink, Plunk, Plink” runs for 6 minutes and 30 seconds, the Panther tries to become a violinist. - “Smile Pretty Say Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 12 seconds, a photographer in the park is annoyed by the Panther. - “Pink-A-Boo” runs for 6 minutes and 22 seconds, a mouse and the Panther are at odds in his house. - “Genie with the Light Pink Fur” runs for 6 minutes and 11 seconds, the Panther discovers a magic lamp with the chance to become a Genie. - “Super Pink” runs for 6 minutes and 3 seconds, the Panther pursues dreams of becoming a super hero. - “Roc a Bye Pinky” runs for 6 minutes and 23 seconds, a camper and dog disturb the Panther’s slumber. - “Pinknic” runs for 6 minutes and 14 seconds, the Panther gets snowed in without food. - “Pink Panic” runs for 6 minutes and 6 seconds, the Panther stumbles into a ghost town filled with ghosts. - “Pink Posies” runs for 6 minutes and 18 seconds, a gardner and the panther fight over the color of the flowers. Bonus trailer on the disc is: - "Anti-Piracy" PSA, which runs for about 30 seconds. DISC THREE: This disc is simply a digital copy of the feature film.
Overall
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