Watching “Clerks 2” was more like a homecoming to a long lost family that it was a sequel to a movie.
Sound:
Audio for "Clerks 2" is either French or English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio or English Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 Audio. Setting the sound to TrueHD does allow for a very minor upgrade in sound clarity, but it is hardly discernable through most of the film. Kevin Smith did a great job on the first "Clerks" with the soundtrack and the song selections for "Clerks 2" are just as great. Smashing Pumpkins "1979" and the Jackson Five´s "ABC" both sound incredible. I love the dance number choreographed by Kevin Smith. Good times. This is the perfect example of a dialogue driven film and fortunately, dialogue is absolutely spot-on perfect. A few scenes are lively enough to populate the rear surrounds, though aside from the musical selections, not much utilizes the .1 LFE channel. This is a very good sounding film, but it is masterful in doing what it needs to do to tell a story and not invade your aural canals with a show of shock and awe.
Extras:
"Clerks 2" on HD-DVD is billed as the "2-Disc Edition." Looking at the rear packaging, the list of "Special Features" is quite daunting. Much of this text is dedicated to the three commentary tracks that are included on the first plastic platter. The second platter contains a plethora of supplements from Kevin Smith, Producer Scott Mosier and company. Some credit must certainly be divvied out to Genius Products. All of the supplements on the second disc are included in full 1080 high definition. In a world where we still have to deal with most of our value added content in 480p standard definition, I´m always happy to see an effort to make an entire package part of the high definition experience.
Three commentaries is a lot of listening. "Clerks 2" runs for ninety eight minutes. The good part about a Kevin Smith running commentary is that it is usually worth listening to. The first Feature Commentary with Writer-Director Kevin Smith, Producer Scott Mosier, and Director of Photography David Klein is dedicated mostly to the production of the film and Kevin Smith´s own thoughts on bringing back his beloved characters for another adventure and a perfect book-end for the Red Bank trilogy that has now spanned six films. The second Feature Commentary with Writer-Director Kevin Smith, Producer Scott Mosier and Actors Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Jason Mewes, Brian O´Halloran and Jennifer Schwalbach. This is a perfect example of the heavily populated commentary tracks that have been typical for Kevin Smith films. I was disappointed it was not a video commentary as some of the DVD tracks have possessed, but this was a great listen. The third and final commentary was recorded for usage on an iPod. This Podcast Commentary with Writer-Director Kevin Smith, Producer Scott Mosier and Actor Jeff Anderson is another good listen. The world can never have enough Jeff Anderson. Three commentaries. A lot of time, but all are well worth listening to.
There are a few smaller inclusions on the first HD-DVD disc in addition to the trio of commentary tracks. First and foremost, Prepared by Kevin Smith (with Intro) is a selectable intro featuring Smith and Mosier and in his own profound and profane manner, Smith introduces his movie and discusses the special features and other items pertaining to the film and the home video release. Deleted Scenes are monstrous in size and nearly forty minutes in length. A few of these are side-splitting moments that are humorous. Some of completely exercised moments, while others are alternate takes. They are very funny, but do not necessarily belong in the film. The A Closer Look at Interspecies Erotica is an eight minute look that delves into Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud. I´m going to let you explore this one on your own and not spoil the fun.
The second disc is chocked-full of goodness. First up is an absolutely brilliant making of documentary - Back to the Wall: Clerks II - a 90-Min. Documentary (with Intro). This chronicles the entire genesis of the "Clerks" sequel and details the early hesitance by Kevin Smith, Jeff Anderson and others to return to the material. Anderson had initially only wanted to read the story out of curiosity and did not want to take part in a second film, but the quality of the script drew him into the project. I may be biased, but I really do believe this is one of the better making-of documentaries I´ve seen. The optional introduction is more vintage Kevin Smith / Scott Mosier moments that we´ve come to love. The Hilarious Bloopers is a half hour more funny-bone tickling segments featuring flubbed lines and hilarity that gets slightly repetitious, but is fun one-the-less. Train Wrecks: Video Production Diaries (with Intro) is a collection of shorts that were originally posted on the View Askew website and chronicles the making of the film. Finally, phew, Clerks II VH1 Movie Special is the only routine feeling supplement of the disc. I chose to review this feature last and felt it only rehashed what the far more superior supplements already discussed. At a half hour in length, it is certainly a nice addition to the disc, but doesn´t hold its own against the rest.
Closing Thoughts:
It was not easy holding out for the HD-DVD release of "Clerks II" when the DVD arrived quite a bit earlier on store shelves. I am thankful that I did not purchase the standard definition release for this brilliant film. It is full of profanity and disturbing moments. The film mocks pretty much everything. Religion. The handicapped. Donkeys. Everything is violated in "Clerks II." Fortunately, it is done in a way that is completely in the spirit of the original film and with Jeff Anderson and Brian O´Halloran returning to their respective roles and Randal and Dante, "Clerks II" is a true grand slam. This is easily one of the best films I had seen in 2006 and sits proudly alongside the original on my ´favorites´ shelf. As is typical with a View Askew release, there are more features that you can shake hermaphroditic porn at (sorry, bad reference to "Clerks"). Video is good, but the source materials aren´t the most detailed you will ever see. The soundtrack is clear and clean. Technically speaking, the disc is fine, but not spectacular. The bountiful loot of special features and great story more than make up for it.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]20411[/release]