Anything the filmmakers might have, could have, should have handled with even the remotest degree of subtlety...they didn't.
Anything the filmmakers might have, could have, should have handled with even the remotest degree of subtlety...they didn't. Instead, they do everything in broad, sweeping strokes, often accompanying the action with disgustingly graphic detail. This is material that Broken Lizard would have rejected, little more than a collection of drug and sex jokes, profanity, and nudity, intermittently punctuated by potty gags.
One smile near the very end. For me, that was it for "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay."
Video:
I have no objections to the look of this stanard-def, anamorphic transfer. Given the amount of material crammed into the first disc, what with the interactive feature described below, it's a wonder the New Line engineers managed to capture as much color and definition as they did. The 1.85:1, theatrical-ratio picture will fill a widescreen TV, and unless you compare the image quality side by side with its Blu-ray brother, you'll probably find it more than acceptable, with a relatively clean appearance and only occasional instances where its overly smooth and glossy aspect is distracting.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack doesn't really have a lot to do, so I suppose you could say it does its job commendably. About the only time it comes to life is when a little pop music plays in the background, and then we get a rocking bass. Otherwise, there is not a lot of need for wide dynamics or an extended frequency response or even much in the way of surround activity. We just get clear, precise dialogue, which is all we should expect.
Extras:
Disc one of this "Unrated 2-Disc Special Edition" contains mainly the film plus an interesting interactive feature, "Dude, Change the Movie!" This bonus is probably better than the film itself because you can decide the direction the story takes. Every few minutes as you watch the movie, the filmmakers give you choices, "Should the characters do this or do that?" Depending on your choice, the movie can end up doing all sorts of weird stuff. For instance, if you choose not to have Kumar light up a bong on the airplane, you get a whole new and different plot. If you choose to have the boys' friend throw a topless party instead of a bottomless one, well, you can do that, too. The filmmakers shot a whole lot of extra footage and include it on the disc, not just deleted scenes but entirely new episodes. In fact, it appears as though the filmmakers shot the entire film with this gimmick in mind. It's more fun than the regular movie.
Next on disc one we find two audio commentaries, one with co-writers/co-directors Schlossberg and Hurwitz and stars John Cho and Kal Penn and another commentary with the directors, the real "Harold Lee," John Cho, and the guy who plays George W. Bush, James Adomian. Things conclude on disc one with twenty-two scene selections, but no chapter insert; several theatrical trailers; Sneak Peeks at a few other movies; English as the only spoken language; and English and Spanish subtitles.
Disc two contains the twenty-one-minute featurette, "The World of Harold and Kumar"; twenty-seven additional scenes; yet a few more scenes called "Extras"; a Bush Public Service Announcement by the guy who plays Bush in the movie, James Adomian; and a digital copy of the movie you can unlock with a PC and a secret code. A colorfully embossed slipcover houses the two-disc set.
Parting Shots:
I really found this film pretty amateurish in many ways. It seemed like the kind of thing that high school freshmen might have put together, the kids tittering all the while they were making it. While in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" I laughed out loud any number of times, in "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" I sat stony-faced, and a little annoyed, for 107 minutes hoping for it to end. Not a good sign.
One smile near the very end. For me, that was it for "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay."
Video:
I have no objections to the look of this stanard-def, anamorphic transfer. Given the amount of material crammed into the first disc, what with the interactive feature described below, it's a wonder the New Line engineers managed to capture as much color and definition as they did. The 1.85:1, theatrical-ratio picture will fill a widescreen TV, and unless you compare the image quality side by side with its Blu-ray brother, you'll probably find it more than acceptable, with a relatively clean appearance and only occasional instances where its overly smooth and glossy aspect is distracting.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack doesn't really have a lot to do, so I suppose you could say it does its job commendably. About the only time it comes to life is when a little pop music plays in the background, and then we get a rocking bass. Otherwise, there is not a lot of need for wide dynamics or an extended frequency response or even much in the way of surround activity. We just get clear, precise dialogue, which is all we should expect.
Extras:
Disc one of this "Unrated 2-Disc Special Edition" contains mainly the film plus an interesting interactive feature, "Dude, Change the Movie!" This bonus is probably better than the film itself because you can decide the direction the story takes. Every few minutes as you watch the movie, the filmmakers give you choices, "Should the characters do this or do that?" Depending on your choice, the movie can end up doing all sorts of weird stuff. For instance, if you choose not to have Kumar light up a bong on the airplane, you get a whole new and different plot. If you choose to have the boys' friend throw a topless party instead of a bottomless one, well, you can do that, too. The filmmakers shot a whole lot of extra footage and include it on the disc, not just deleted scenes but entirely new episodes. In fact, it appears as though the filmmakers shot the entire film with this gimmick in mind. It's more fun than the regular movie.
Next on disc one we find two audio commentaries, one with co-writers/co-directors Schlossberg and Hurwitz and stars John Cho and Kal Penn and another commentary with the directors, the real "Harold Lee," John Cho, and the guy who plays George W. Bush, James Adomian. Things conclude on disc one with twenty-two scene selections, but no chapter insert; several theatrical trailers; Sneak Peeks at a few other movies; English as the only spoken language; and English and Spanish subtitles.
Disc two contains the twenty-one-minute featurette, "The World of Harold and Kumar"; twenty-seven additional scenes; yet a few more scenes called "Extras"; a Bush Public Service Announcement by the guy who plays Bush in the movie, James Adomian; and a digital copy of the movie you can unlock with a PC and a secret code. A colorfully embossed slipcover houses the two-disc set.
Parting Shots:
I really found this film pretty amateurish in many ways. It seemed like the kind of thing that high school freshmen might have put together, the kids tittering all the while they were making it. While in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" I laughed out loud any number of times, in "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" I sat stony-faced, and a little annoyed, for 107 minutes hoping for it to end. Not a good sign.
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[release]23928[/release]