Customer Reviews

The Pink Panther 2 [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

When you can sit by yourself and watch a movie and laugh out loud at even parts of the movie - that's a good movie. I rented this one because of all the bad reviews. I had to see it - Martin, Reno, Cleese, Molina, Garcia, Rai - somewhere I figured something in it had to be funny. What I discovered was that lots of it was funny - plus they finally got it right with the anticipation build-up, which was a great deal of the fun in the Sellers original. When Steve Martin heads for the wine, you think, 'oh no', and you are not disappointed. For me, this is definitely a keeper that I will want to watch again when I need a good laugh, so I bought it.

As the self-important, supremely incompetent, and impenetrably-accented Inspector Clouseau, Peter Sellers created one of the most memorable comic characters of modern times. Steve Martin is a very funny guy too, that's not enough to redeem The Pink Panther 2's uninspired script and tired gags. In the second installment starring Martin, Clouseau is enlisted into a team of super detectives in order to track down some priceless cultural artifacts that have been purloined by a rogue named the Tornado. Like its predecessor, The Pink Panther 2 is a "beumb"; it's aimlessly plotted and emphasizes lame slapstick gags at the expense of the considerable talents of Martin, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons, and Aishwarya Rai, among others.

I saw this movie in theatre and couldn't wait for it to come out on DVD. I've probably seen it 5 times now and I still enjoy watching it. I love the sense of humor!!

Steve Martin returns as the famous and very clumsy police officer, Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

With the success of the first film, "THE PINK PANTHER 2" makes its return with Steve Martin, John Cleese as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (replacing Kevin Kline), Emily Mortimer as Nicole Durant (Clouseau's girlfriend) and Jean Reno as Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Clouseau's partner).

The film is directed by Harald Zwart ("One Night at McCool's" and "Agent Cody Banks") and a screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webber. Joining Zwart is cinematographer Denis Crossan ("Agent Cody Banks", "Incognito" and "The Hole") and composer Christophe Beck ("The Pink Panther", "Drillbit Taylor" and "We Are Marshall").

The film revolves around many thefts around the world. Expensive artifacts such as the Magna Carta in London, the Imperial Sword in Japan, the Turin Shroud in India and the famous Pink Panther diamond of France. All thefts done by the master thief known as "The Tornado".

Because of the heist done in several countries, each country has their top detectives working together to find the Tornado and break the case. The team known as "The Dream Team" which consists of Inspector Randall Pepperidge (Alfred Molina) from the UK, Italy has Inspector Vicenzo Brancaleone (Andy Garcia), Japan has their technology expert has Kenji Mazuto (Yuki Matsuzaki) and India has their criminology expert Sonia Solandres (Aishwarya Rai).

As for France, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus feels that its his time to get in the limelight instead of the clumsy Inspector Clouseau but learns from his superiors that they want Clouseau to his dismay.

As for Clouseau, he's busy catching people breaking the law and also trying to advance in his relationship with his girlfriend Nicole and also having his home used as a temporary place for his partner Ponton (who is kicked out of the home by his wife) and his children and dog to stay for a short while.

But after receiving his orders from his superiors to represent France in catching the criminals, he agrees. Unfortunately for Clouseau, his counterparts from the different countries do not think he is capable of solving the case and to make matters worse, because his relationship with Nicole is secret and she is helping with the case, Inspector Clouseau must pretend he has nothing to do with her. And thus the suave Inspector Brancaleone starts to flirt and tries to become closer with her.

As the "Dream Team" tries to find out who has been stealing the items and the world has their eyes on if the Dream Team can succeed, because of unfortunate situations involving Closeau, the Pope has his ring stolen by the Tornado and the public turns on the Dream Team. The group has no decision but to kick Inspector Clouseau out of their group.

While the Dream Team pursues other leads which they believe will lead them to the thief, Clouseau has his own ideas of capturing the thief.

Will Closeau prove himself as capable investigator or will he be seen as an inept investigator who loses his girlfriend?

"THE PINK PANTHER 2' comes with a total of three discs. The first disc contains the film and its special features. The second disc contains 27 classic Pink Panther cartoons and the third disc contains the digital copy.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"THE PINK PANTHER 2' is featured in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1) with an AVC at 34.75 MBPS. The picture quality is actually very vibrant and looks magnificent. The amount of detail and contrast really is quite impressive. Characters skin and flesh tones, eyes (especially Aishiwarya Rai's blue eyes), detail of the clothing and the objects you name it, the detail is there. If anything, the picture quality is outstanding.

As for audio quality, audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (also, in Spanish, French and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital). For the most part, the film is front and center channel heavy but I did notice quite a bit of surround usage for a variety of scenes that includes crowds and action scenes such as the squeak of the chandelier when Closeau is hanging on top of it. Not much LFE is used in the film but overall, the lossless soundtrack is quite solid for a film like this. Dialog can be heard clearly as with the music of Christophe Beck.

As for subtitles, the film features subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Korean.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"THE PINK PANTHER 2' comes with a few special features on the first disc but the third disc comes with 27 classic Pink Panther cartoons from the 1960's. Here is what is included on the disc:

DISC 1:
# Gag Reel - (3:31) The bloopers from the film.
# Drama Is Easy...Comedy is Dangerous - (7:43) Interviews with the director and executive producers of what they wanted to accomplish in the film and how they wanted the second film to be more gag oriented. Also, how Steve Martin did a significant amount of stunt work.
# A Dream Team Like No Other - (13:53) Interviews with each of the international detectives and how it was like to work with Steve Martin and a film that features a considerable amount of comedy. Also, how Jessica Drake, a dialect coach had to help a few of the talent speak with a dialect native to the country they represent on the film.
# Master Thief - Global Crime Showdown! - A trivia game which the viewer can use their Blu-ray remote to answer questions and crackdown on a heist.

Disc 2:

The second disc comes with 27 classic Pink Panther cartoons from the 1960's. Included are:

o The Pink Phink - 1964 Academy-Award winner for Short Subjects, Animated Films
o Pink Pajamas
o We Give Pink Stamps
o Dial `P' For Pink
o Sink Pink
o Pickled Pink
o Pinkfinger
o Shocking Pink
o Pink Ice
o The Pink Tail Fly
o Pink Panzer
o An Ounce of Pink
o Reel Pink
o Bully For Pink
o Pink Punch
o Pink Pistons
o Vitamin Pink
o The Pink Blue Print
o Pink, Plunk, Plink
o Smile Pretty, Say Pink
o Pink-A-Boo
o Genie With The Light Pink Fur
o Super Pink
o Rock A Bye Pinky
o Pinknic
o Pink Panic
o Pink Posies

JUDGMENT CALL:

Several reasons why I enjoyed the first film was that Steve Martin was able to bring his unique style to the character of Inspector Clouseau. The film was shot in various locations in Europe and really giving the film this European, stylish type of feel to it.

The interaction between Clouseau and Ponton and also Nicole was quite humorous and everything just seemed to work quite well in the film.

With "THE PINK PANTHER 2', the film continues with Clouseau's clumsy hijinks but what I found missing is that all-European style of feel with its gorgeous locations. Steve Martin was able to utilize those locations (such as trying to park a car or drive through the city) quite effectively. The sexual innuendo between Clouseau and Nicole was definitely much less this time around, as the film focused more on their relationship and I felt that the mystique of their closeness was better utilized in the first film.

Also, Ponton's role seemed to be quite domesticated and his character seemed less tough guy and more family man this time around. Jean Reno can play a variety of roles but I wish his role was more of the aggressive partner than the man who just got kicked out of the house along with his kids and dog.

I did enjoy John Cleese as Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Kevin Cline did a good job last year but interesting enough, I felt that John Cleese would have been perfect for the role and sure enough, he is now Dreyfus. Whereas the first film utilized the character of Dreyfus quite well, there was less of his character in the second film and that crazy banter between Dreyfus and Clouseau took place mostly at the beginning.

I did find it quite interesting to see two actors such as Andy Garcia ("Confidence", "Smokin' Aces", "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Godfather: Part III") and Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2' and "The DaVinci Code") known for their serious roles, partake in a comedy film. It was nice to see these two men let loose and become casual and cool and I found their scenes quite fun to watch. I also enjoyed seeing Lily Tomlyn and Steve Martin together in a film (their first in 20 years), as these two really compliment each other well with their comedic back-and-forth routine. And as for Aishwarya Rai, it was so great to see this popular and beautiful Bollywood actress in this film and I hope this film leads to more roles for blockbuster films in the US.

I was entertained by "THE PINK PANTHER 2' but aside from seeing the various talent that took part in this film, I miss the storyline and the utilization of Inspector Clouseau throughout Europe. Part of the enjoyment was seeing him utilized in the city and of course, the character development featured in the first film. But those characters that I enjoyed from the first film was utilized quite differently this time around. Not much more of Steve Martin's Clouseau character but mainly the utilization of John Cleese, Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer's characters.

Don't get me wrong, the film is entertaining and fun but storywise, it was average at best. If anything, part of the marketing genius for the release of the second film on Blu-ray was the addition of 27 animated episodes on a separate disc. For fans of the original "Pink Panther" animation, its inclusion on this Blu-ray release is awesome. It's one thing to get 2 or 3 animated shorts but to get 27, that's purchasing another release since that disc alone contains nearly 3-hours.

Personally, "THE PINK PANTHER 2' was not as impressive as its predecessor but Steve Martin still shines in his own way as Inspector Jacques Clouseau and the hijinks and craziness he brings to the character is still a primary focus on the second film. The film is still entertaining and fun but I miss the European scenes showcasing Closeau and the type of interaction he had with Dreyfus, Ponton and Nicole from the first film.

As for the Blu-ray release, you really can't go wrong because Twentieth Century Fox really went all out with this release in terms of picture and audio quality, especially with what this release comes bundled with. It's a pretty awesome release.

If you enjoyed the first film and enjoy Steve Martin's Inspector Clouseau, then definitely pick up "The Pink Panther 2" on Blu-ray!

Three stars for the film and an extra star for the inclusion of the 27 original Pink Panther classic cartoons!

Steve Martin is not a comedian. He is a buffoon. The film is chock full with his buffoonery; only a few people laughed in the theater I was in when it came out and the film lost money; the film was mostly irritating. Do yourself a favor and skip this movie.

I rented this, thankfully only for a buck. I lasted about 10 minutes, 15 at the most--and my wife didn't even make it that far. Movies like this should not still be getting made in the 21st century. I thought we were past this. Society progresses in some ways and falls backward in others but a movie like this splits my psyche. It makes me question everything about the world. How can it be so awful, what must we do as a race to ensure such movies are not remade?

Nothing in the movie was funny. It was basically Looney Toon-like antics in real life and it does not work. Steve Martin must have been behind on his estate payments or something, there's just no good reason he should have been in this.

I don't think I've ever watched a film that was so bad during which I laughed so much. I am not fan of Steve Martin in general, and his accent here was particularly poor. There is too much slapstick, much of which isn't integrated into the film. The Lily Tomlin character serves no real purpose. The plot meanders. Yet, in spite of all its flaws, Pink Panther 2 is one funny film.

I saw this movie before the first Steve Martin "Pink Panther" movie. This movie is definitely worth watching...as Abraham Lincoln said, "People who like this sort of thing will find this to be the sort of thing they like". At any rate, I just really like "The Pink Panther 2"...not sure how to describe it...it's just funny and fun.
This particular edition has two discs, and the second disc has 27 "Pink Panther" cartoons. The first disc has the movie in what I prefer, widescreen, and a few additional features.
By the way, for all of you fans of Alfred Molina, look for him in a vastly different role in this year's "Prince of Persia".
If you're afraid "The Pink Panther 2" is going to terribly fall short of the first Steve Martin "Pink Panther", you can stop worrying, because this movie is rare in that it actually is GOOD even though it is a movie sequel.

The Pink Panther II rocks!!! I think some of the original Pink Panther movies were too slow paced and boring. Even the 2006 Pink Panther I movie was dull in comparison with the Pink Panther II. The Pink Panther II This is one of my all-time favorite movies. My 10-year-old daughter loves it as well. We've seen it multiple times. It is a masterpiece if you love a good comedy film like I do. I especially enjoy the character of the lady whose job it was to make the inspector act in a manner that is more politically correct. I recommend this movie for all who want a good series of belly laughs!

PINK PANTHER is always fun entertainment - whether it is Peter Sellers or Steve Martin. The story line is great, the actors are the best, the antics are unequaled and always hysterical no matter how many times you have seen it, and the actors are the best.