Saddam(Haleva, looking the part) has taken hostages taken by a foreign dictator, and several failed rescue attempts, the US is running out of specialists to send in. Topper(Sheen, doing a good Rambo) is tracked down, but he's heartbroken over the loss of Ramada(Golino, sultry as ever). Maybe something will motivate him... like Crenna playing the same role he did in the First Blood series.
With the new military-themed blockbuster ripe for parodying chosen(one with a grander scope, as it should be), a cast of new and old faces alike all game, this sequel does a lot to live up to its predecessor. Like the franchises of Naked Gun and Airplane!, this works in part because so much of it is played straight. One element in a scene or bit will be off, but usually only that, so that it contrasts against the "real" backdrop.
The pop culture references, gags and jokes are plentiful, with a gradual rise towards the climax. We get to breathe, and it doesn't rush so that anything really goes completely unnoticed. Rarely does something fall flat. The material is both visual and verbal, with cleverness, silly stuff, plays on words, etc. Roles are well-cast, and no one is really given too much or little screen-time or laughs.
This is Abrahams before these got excessive - in spite of the "drop in/out" nature of the hilarious antics, they never feel disjointed, and there is a clear whole... one with a defined plot, I might add, another thing some more recent entries in the genre have gotten wrong. FX and stunts look and feel real, thus successfully convincing us that we really *are* watching a big-budget action flick - just one where a lot "goes wrong", strange things are said and done, etc.
There is a lot of violence, some sexuality(both comically over the top) and a little strong language in this. I recommend this to any fan of send-ups. 7/10
With the new military-themed blockbuster ripe for parodying chosen(one with a grander scope, as it should be), a cast of new and old faces alike all game, this sequel does a lot to live up to its predecessor. Like the franchises of Naked Gun and Airplane!, this works in part because so much of it is played straight. One element in a scene or bit will be off, but usually only that, so that it contrasts against the "real" backdrop.
The pop culture references, gags and jokes are plentiful, with a gradual rise towards the climax. We get to breathe, and it doesn't rush so that anything really goes completely unnoticed. Rarely does something fall flat. The material is both visual and verbal, with cleverness, silly stuff, plays on words, etc. Roles are well-cast, and no one is really given too much or little screen-time or laughs.
This is Abrahams before these got excessive - in spite of the "drop in/out" nature of the hilarious antics, they never feel disjointed, and there is a clear whole... one with a defined plot, I might add, another thing some more recent entries in the genre have gotten wrong. FX and stunts look and feel real, thus successfully convincing us that we really *are* watching a big-budget action flick - just one where a lot "goes wrong", strange things are said and done, etc.
There is a lot of violence, some sexuality(both comically over the top) and a little strong language in this. I recommend this to any fan of send-ups. 7/10