Not many sequels can get away with (critically, at least) almost step-by-step rehashing the entire plot of the original film and simply transposing it to a new setting. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York doesn’t really get away with it either, but as a kid, the film’s target audience, I never seemed to mind when the holiday flick was released in 1992. It was more of a smartass kid kicking the crap out of two clown burglars who can take as many shots as Wile E. Coyote, this time in the Big Apple.
Home Alone 2’s formula is so close one must wonder if they simply used the same script. The McCallister’s Chicago household is bustling again, as the holiday season is upon them, and against all common sense following the previous year’s exploits, they are planning another holiday trip for the entire family. Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is at odds with his brother Buzz, and he and the family are generally having another giant misunderstanding.
Then comes the trip, and the family leaves Kevin behind again, but this time he winds up on another airplane. So when the family lands in Florida, Kevin finds himself in New York City. It’s not that bad, though, Kevin decides when he realizes his father’s handbag is packed with cash and a credit card. He promptly checks into The Plaza. Kevin again first enjoys his freedom by indulging in childhood fantasies.
But things turn sour quickly when the two burglars from the first film – now calling themselves the Sticky Bandits rather than the Wet Bandits – break out of prison and find themselves in the same city. And lo and behold! There is a replacement for the weird, old shoveling guy in the first film, who Kevin again first fears but must learn to understand and accept. This person will ultimately help save him in the end. This time it is Scottish singer extraordinaire Susan Boyle, of Britain’s Got Talent fame. Actually, it’s just some pigeon lady in a park who looks a hell of a lot like Boyle in retrospect.
Of course, everything ties together perfectly. The characters learn the importance of family (again) and it becomes another fantastic Christmas, only after Kevin sets elaborate booby traps to put the villains through extraordinary amounts of pain. If the movie has any real successes, they are in the performance of Culkin, who pulls off the part incredibly well.
But the movie’s update to Blu-ray matches the mediocre effort that went into making the sequel in the first place. Does it look and sound better than its DVD counterpart? Barely. While it is the clearest the film has been, movies older than 1992 have received much better treatments than this. The update tries to cover up some of the oldness of the film simply by softening the tones, which gives things a ridiculously unreal look in some scenes. And film grain is often small, but constantly noticeable. That said, the scenes in New York were well-shot, and the city (and most notably the Duncan’s set) provide a wealth of visuals to enjoy in high-definition.
John Williams’ score is also mostly a rehash from the first film, but remains solid, and sounds nice in the DTS-HD Master Audio track. But most of the action is left to the front channels on the surround system. There is slightly more depth added to the climactic pigeon scene, but surround wasn’t used as much as it could have been. Reviewing one of the opening scenes in the house when everyone is darting around the entryway, it felt like Fox missed a major opportunity to crank up the chatter and commotion going on in the room. These opportunities are missed throughout. Generally speaking, the sound leaves the voices clear, which is always important, but it is otherwise a letdown.
The most disappointing thing, however, is the roster of special features, or lack thereof. The McCallister family left Kevin behind a second time in Home Alone 2, and for this sequel Fox has also left him alone. Aside from the feature, there are three trailers – one apiece for the first three Home Alone flicks – not even a commentary track. Given, there might not have been much left to say with the rehashed feature, but a Blu-ray upgrade with nothing extra is a sad state of affairs. If all we are getting are Home Alone trailers, couldn’t they have made it a complete set by including the trailer for the straight-to-television Home Alone 4 – the one with French Stewart – so we could all at least get a good laugh out of it?
Special Features:
-The Home Alone 2 Blu-ray disc is presented in 1080p high-definition 1.85:1 aspect ratio video; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Surround and Spanish stereo audio; with English SDH and Spanish subtitles
-Home Alone Trailer
-Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Trailer
-Home Alone 3 Trailer
Title: Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York[Blu-ray]Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Catherine O’Hara
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: Oct. 6, 2009
Rating: 4 / 10
About the Writer:
Bill Jones is the editor-in-chief of padsandpanels.com, a site dedicated to the coverage of comics and games.
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