Plot: What’s it about?
Wayne (Mike Myers) has been riding a tidal wave of good fortune, all of which began when his public access show Wayne’s World became a smash success. With his show getting more popular by the episode, Wayne has been able to get his own place and start a new life for himself and Cassandra (Tia Carerre), his love interest. This is all well and good, but Wayne is troubled on where to take his life from this point. A fevered dream starring Jim Morrison provides Wayne with the inspiration on where to take his life, as he is to put on a huge concert, titled Waynestock. But in order to do so, he will have to find the best bands, find the perfect location, and get the cash to make it all happen. Can Wayne deliver the biggest concert of all time and find his life’s direction, all while dealing with his show, his friends, and his love life?
A Saturday Night Live sketch that moved to the silver screen, Wayne’s World was a modest hit and as such, we were given a sequel, Wayne’s World 2. The first Wayne’s World was decent fun at the time, not a great comedy, but passable. The sequel carries that trend and turns out to be solid, but unremarkable. You can see Myers start to develop the style of humor that would spawn his Austin Powers franchise, but it isn’t as refined here. Still, a few scenes stand out as hilarious and most work well, with a few duds thrown in, of course. This is somewhat dated after sixteen years, but that is expected given how rooted in 1990’s culture this material can be. But most of the jokes hold up and it is nice to look back and remember when Mike Myers was still funny. Wayne’s World 2 isn’t great, but it is good fun and worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
Kino has been doing some great work with some of Paramount’s catalog titles and Wayne’s World 2 is their most recent undertaking. While some out there might not want or need this film in 4K, I’m always a fan of something/anything looking its best. And, truth be told, it’s been a while since I sat down and watched this but I will say that I was impressed by the overall clarity, improved detail and bold color palette. It’s not a night and day difference over the Blu-ray (also included) but for those that buy 4K’s, you’ll know what to expect. The 1.85:1 HEVC 4K image has never looked better. I definitely didn’t hurl.
Audio: How does it sound?
A DTS HD Master Audio option is on deck, but the dialogue driven nature of the film is more than evident. The audio is fine however, with no issues to contend with. But the surrounds don’t get to sound off much, outside of the musical soundtrack and a few isolated moments of power. That’s cool though, as the sound design is centered on the dialogue and since it sounds good, its hard to complain. The music sounds good too, leaving us a rock solid treatment for this material.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Disc One (4K)
- Audio Commentary – Director Stephen Surjik on the film, working with Myers and Carvey and the massive undertaking it was helming a movie that was such a resounding hit just the year earlier. This isn’t new, of course, the track has been around for ages but it’s nice to have at any rate.
Disc Two (Blu-ray)
- Audio Commentary – Same as above.
- Extreme Close-Up – A 15 minute “Making of…” feature that gives us plenty of face time with Myers and Carvey as well as some behind the scenes footage.
- 6 US TV Spots
- 2 UK TV Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Sequels are rarely better than the films that preceded them. This is no exception. That’s not to say that Wayne’s World 2 didn’t have some funny moments, it did, but the magic and allure of the first simply isn’t there. Still, if you’re hankering for a bit of early 90’s nostalgia then the new 4K offering might be up your alley.
