Plot: What’s it about?
Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) still work together, but now they’re employed at Mooby’s, a low class fast food joint. Dante has decided to take the next step in his life, getting married, starting a family, and new job, all of which involves a move to Florida. This is a huge step for Dante, who has never shown much ambition. He will miss his friends, the familiar sites, and his new close friend Becky (Rosario Dawson), the store’s manager, but he needs a change. As a normal work day passes, Dante shares his plans, battles Randal to no end, deals with his emotions, and prepares for what is sure to be an insane bachelor party. But can he leave his world in New Jersey behind, the only life he has ever known? And if he does, will he find the new life he seeks, or just learn that his old one wasn’t so bad?
The career of Kevin Smith will always be defined by Clerks, his debut feature that launched his run behind the cameras. As we all know, Smith has never been able to move beyond the characters and world within Clerks, the trace elements of the Quick Stop are all over his other projects. So in 2005, Smith went back to the well and tried to capture lightning in a bottle a second time, with a sequel to Clerks. I wasn’t in love with Clerks, but it was fun to watch, so I didn’t have insane expectations for this sequel. Clerks II is not in the same class as the original, but it is decent fun. The writing isn’t as sharp, which yields inconsistent dialogue, sometimes good, most of the time forced. A good deal of the Clerks crew return and for nostalgia, Clerks II delivers. But in terms of a sharp follow up to the first film, it falls far short. Even so, for fans of Clerks or raunchy, silly comedies, Clerks II is worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
Clerks II is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Unlike the original Clerks, this one was shot in color and has a more sleek, polished presence. Even so, this transfer proves to be a rather plain one and doesn’t show off high definition’s potential. The image is clean, but detail isn’t good and at times, this was like watching a DVD. But some scenes do show a higher level of depth, sadly though those sequences are infrequent. The film’s bold color scheme comes up flat also, while contrast is steady and never becomes a concern. In short, this is watchable, but unremarkable.
Audio: How does it sound?
This film is as dialogue driven as a movie can be, so there isn’t much for this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 option to do. The vocals are perfectly handled however, so each line is clear and clean. No matter how many people are speaking and regardless of how intense they’re arguing, it all sounds great here. The musical soundtrack provides some depth, but outside of the tunes, the surrounds never wake up. The movie doesn’t need intense presence, but some skilled ambience would have been nice. So a nice soundtrack, but not one to write home about. This release also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, a French language track, and subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A total of three audio commentaries have been provided, all of which feature Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. Two of the tracks are standard sessions, while the third was a podcast designed to listed to while in theaters. If you’re a fan of Smith’s previous tracks, then you’ll like these three. The mood is always light and humorous, with in-jokes to burn and endless pop culture references. Not always the most insightful type of sessions, but still a fun listen if you’re not after production information. Back to the Well is a ninety minute look at Smith’s return to Clerks, which was quite an extensive path. Again, not really “film school in a box” type stuff, but brisk and humorous material. A selection of production diaries are also on deck, as is a promotional VH1 special. This release also includes Smith’s favorite deleted scenes, some bloopers, and a featurette on interspecies erotica.
