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Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
This at times hilarious sequel to the suprise hit works more often-than-not at the begining, and then slowly falls away from there. Obviously after the success of the first film there had to be another one - although it begins to run out of steam, it's suprising just how much they pulled out of the concept once again.
The film opens with a number of entertaining sequences, first of which is a rather creative spoof of the opening of "Cliffhanger". From there, there are a couple of highlights, including a party sequence where Ace makes somewhat of a fruit mask, and a scene involving spitting that can is rather funny in a gross sort of way. In between, Ace goes on his merry way, inserting a few variations on jokes from the original and of course, keeping the same phrases.
The plot here is pretty minimal, but I doubt many were expecting a rich, layered plot from a movie whose subtitle is "When Nature Calls". Alrighty then. Here, Ace is called back into action after a sacred bat is stolen from an African tribe. It's not a great plot and the tribal scenes are kinda goofy, but it serves nicely as a string to hang the endless gags.
All of it is livened by Carrey, who is willing to do just about anything in the quest for laughs, almost even more here than he did in the original feature. All in all, it's a funny sequel - not quite as consistently hilarious as the first film was, but the filmmakers have done a good job getting more out of the idea.
The DVD
VIDEO: This is a generally pleasant transfer, although this isn't the best work that Warner Brothers has shown that they are capable of. Sharpness varies quite a bit on occasion - although most of the presentation offers fine (although not outstanding) sharpness, the occasional dimly lit or interior sequence tends to look soft and even hazy once or twice. Detail is good but unremarkable, and although there are some great looking outdoor scenes, there are times when the presentation could have been slightly more well-defined.
I'd forgotten that this was filmed in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio (seems fairly odd for "Ace Ventura", but it works), and it does capture the scenery (North Carolina substituting for the jungle) well. Colors are the best part of the image - Ace's outlandish outfit and the surrounding jungle colors provide a pleasing visual look to the film. Colors are very well-saturated, and offer no problems.
Aside from the minor softness once or twice, there really isn't much else to complain about. No pixelation or shimmering, and only a minor mark or two on the print used. A good but not great transfer.
SOUND: "Ace" is suprisingly decent in terms of audio. It certainly isn't too much beyond the usual comedy soundtrack, which tend to be limited in scope and not terribly creative. As a film taking place in the "jungle" there could stand to be more detail to the environment with the usual sounds of nature, but the audio pleasingly at least attempts to include some of these touches along the way.
Most of the soundtrack does stay in the front, although I was happy to hear that the surrounds are occasionally put into use. Nothing agressive, but they are certainly noticable and effective when they are put to service. The musical score is quite entertaining, and sounds clear and dynamic here. There's not much power to it, nor did I really expect it to contain much. Dialogue is not always natural sounding, but it is clear and easily understood. The soundtrack is Dolby Digital 5.0.
MENUS:: Menus are cartoony although non-animated, and keep well with the theme of the movie.
EXTRAS: A set of text notes: Cast and Crew, Making a Sequel, The Look Of The Film, Ace's Do; Animals, Animals, Animals. Also included are trailers for both "Ace" films.
Final Thoughts: The disc doesn't provide anything beyond the basics, but the film is funny enough to recommend at least as a rental.
This at times hilarious sequel to the suprise hit works more often-than-not at the begining, and then slowly falls away from there. Obviously after the success of the first film there had to be another one - although it begins to run out of steam, it's suprising just how much they pulled out of the concept once again.
The film opens with a number of entertaining sequences, first of which is a rather creative spoof of the opening of "Cliffhanger". From there, there are a couple of highlights, including a party sequence where Ace makes somewhat of a fruit mask, and a scene involving spitting that can is rather funny in a gross sort of way. In between, Ace goes on his merry way, inserting a few variations on jokes from the original and of course, keeping the same phrases.
The plot here is pretty minimal, but I doubt many were expecting a rich, layered plot from a movie whose subtitle is "When Nature Calls". Alrighty then. Here, Ace is called back into action after a sacred bat is stolen from an African tribe. It's not a great plot and the tribal scenes are kinda goofy, but it serves nicely as a string to hang the endless gags.
All of it is livened by Carrey, who is willing to do just about anything in the quest for laughs, almost even more here than he did in the original feature. All in all, it's a funny sequel - not quite as consistently hilarious as the first film was, but the filmmakers have done a good job getting more out of the idea.
The DVD
VIDEO: This is a generally pleasant transfer, although this isn't the best work that Warner Brothers has shown that they are capable of. Sharpness varies quite a bit on occasion - although most of the presentation offers fine (although not outstanding) sharpness, the occasional dimly lit or interior sequence tends to look soft and even hazy once or twice. Detail is good but unremarkable, and although there are some great looking outdoor scenes, there are times when the presentation could have been slightly more well-defined.
I'd forgotten that this was filmed in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio (seems fairly odd for "Ace Ventura", but it works), and it does capture the scenery (North Carolina substituting for the jungle) well. Colors are the best part of the image - Ace's outlandish outfit and the surrounding jungle colors provide a pleasing visual look to the film. Colors are very well-saturated, and offer no problems.
Aside from the minor softness once or twice, there really isn't much else to complain about. No pixelation or shimmering, and only a minor mark or two on the print used. A good but not great transfer.
SOUND: "Ace" is suprisingly decent in terms of audio. It certainly isn't too much beyond the usual comedy soundtrack, which tend to be limited in scope and not terribly creative. As a film taking place in the "jungle" there could stand to be more detail to the environment with the usual sounds of nature, but the audio pleasingly at least attempts to include some of these touches along the way.
Most of the soundtrack does stay in the front, although I was happy to hear that the surrounds are occasionally put into use. Nothing agressive, but they are certainly noticable and effective when they are put to service. The musical score is quite entertaining, and sounds clear and dynamic here. There's not much power to it, nor did I really expect it to contain much. Dialogue is not always natural sounding, but it is clear and easily understood. The soundtrack is Dolby Digital 5.0.
MENUS:: Menus are cartoony although non-animated, and keep well with the theme of the movie.
EXTRAS: A set of text notes: Cast and Crew, Making a Sequel, The Look Of The Film, Ace's Do; Animals, Animals, Animals. Also included are trailers for both "Ace" films.
Final Thoughts: The disc doesn't provide anything beyond the basics, but the film is funny enough to recommend at least as a rental.
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