Customer Reviews

Return of the Living Dead 2 [VHS]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

The people who put out this DVD have totally messed up the soundtrack. It all has to do with noise. First off, there's different music in the movie. Next, there are all these new and odd sound effects that are out of place. Why bother releasing the DVD at all, if they're not going to do it correctly???

I should have listened to Harry from Ain't It Cool News. He warned fans that the music was differant on the DVD. But I thought he meant the songs. Losing the rights to songs, and putting different songs in their place for home video is nothing new. But it is the entire score that is different. And the new score is mind numbingly horrible. It completely ruins the movie. There is also a voice over narration at the beggining of the film that I don't remember being there in the theatrical or VHS version. And even more strange, is that when you switch over to the French language track, it is still the original score. This makes no sense at all. Warner Bros. really messed up with this one. I hope they re release it with the proper score. In the meantime, since I know Circuit City won't refund mt money, I'm going to see if Warner Bros. will.

I made the mistake of not listening to other reviewers comments about the change in soundtrack and bought this DVD anyway because I really wanted to own this movie. The new soundtrack that they have added makes the film completely unwatchable. I will now be selling my DVD and looking for an original version with the original background soundtrack on VHS or laserdisc. The studio then had the audacity to give the viewers a real kick in the groin by adding the original soundtrack on to the film IF you watch it in the French Language track. THAT IS UNFAIR and the studio should fire everyone assosciated with the release of this DVD. If you needed more time to acquire whatever rights there are to acquire for a 20 year old horror movie's background soundtrack, then you should have done it before releasing this to DVD. The movie, as it is on this DVD, is unwatchable and the music is GARBAGE. If you are a fan of this movie, DO NOT BUY THIS DVD UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. If you do, I guarantee disappointment.

First off let me state that I agree with some of the other reviewers about how sad it is to finally get a movie you've been waiting for to find that it's been molested by edits. With the re-release market the way it is these days I'm sure we'll see a better version someday. My review is based upon the film itself, not this DVD release.

I think this movie is a fine addition to the Return of the Living Dead saga. My only complaint is that this film still doesn't have a special edition DVD release, much like the third installment. With cult films starting to make a rise in the DVD market perhaps we'll get the ones we want.

The story followed the original a little too closely (almost a re-make for our two witless grave robbers), but I believe this creation was an attempt to work with what the original had to offer plus a larger budget. (if only slightly) Also, the original PG-13 release? I mean come on, when is Hollywood going to stop trying to make these movies family friendly. It's horror for crying out loud.

Finally we get a DVD release....and a part four & five (barely).

Answer to reviewer from Claxton,Tn:
This is not a sequel to Night of the Living Dead exactly...with that series you have.
Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Land of the Dead
soon....Diary of the Dead
(and yes.....severing the spinal cord/blow to the head was sufficient to destroy creatures)

With Return of the living dead its easy.
Return of the living dead 1,2,3,4,5
(the approach of destruction for Zombies here was more realistic....for a movie anyway, lol....they couldn't be killed. After all they're already dead. Then they blew that storyline out of the water by making the Zombies easy to kill in four and five with simple bullets fired anywhere you wanted like a human (depending on which Zombie is being shot).....guess the people who made it never bothered to watch the first three) If you notice alot of the names associated with 4 & 5 seem to be of Eastern European origin. Most of the movies coming from that area these days are questionable at best. Sometimes the simplest stories can be screwed up by people who never understood it in the first place.

The first ROTLD was actually intended to be a sequel to NOTLD, notice the ROTLD book was written by John Russo (uncredited in the film) whom wrote the NOTLD screenplay. I'm guessing that they later decided to spin it off in a new direction by just stating that the "real" Zombies in the cannisters gave them the idea for NOTLD.

;-)

Return of the Living Dead 2: This was a childhood favorite of mine (I lived off of horror movies). As far as the realism scale, it's not quite as believable as the black and white of things in Night of the Living Dead. It's more campy and comic book-ish, but that's not a bad thing neccassaringly.
The "tar zombie" as fans affectionately call him is one of the most memorable and creepy zombies ever to grace (ooze?) across the screen.
The picture quality is very well done, I swear I see all the grossness of the tar zombie in all it's glory as I've never seen before. No, it's not digitally remastered like say the Star Wars DVD set, but it looks way better than any VHS copy out there. Colors are good, rich and the most vibrant I've ever seen of this movie, however there is some graininess to the dots. Yes, the soundtrack is changed, and yes, I did notice it even though it's been about 3 years since I last saw the movie.
I have to admit, the new soundtrack utterly blows. Theres some pounding intense synthesizer music during the tar zombie scene, and the movie quickly edits to Jessie running away in the graveyard. The music doesn't have any flow from one pace to the other in this time; it goes from this suspenseful music to slow and eerie like the music was cut in midbeat. It's like getting about 3/4 the way through the Jaws theme and in the middle of the note it goes to the Halloween music theme. There were at least 3 instances that I saw where either the dialogue was not in synce with the actors mouths or the actors mouths were moving and nothing was heard at all. Good movie, BAD new audio track. Seriously, we need the old one back.
Ultimately, it doesn't ruin the movie but it's a big dent on the side of car.

Having purchased both The Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Return of the Living Dead III (1993) at the time of their respective release to DVD, I couldn't understand why Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) had yet to be released. I waited, and waited, and waited...and finally I got news from some source or other it was finally coming out...I put my pre-order in, and it finally showed up on my doorstep...too bad it wasn't the film I was expecting...oh, the movie is the same one I saw so many years ago, but something was amiss...faulty, improper, flawed, afoul, awry, in error, mistaken, off course, improper, imperfect, defective, deficient, and just generally wrong...I was unable to put my finger on it, since I hadn't seen the film in such a long time, but in reading recent reviews posted by others on here, it became clear I wasn't alone in what I was feeling (I'll get to it later)...

The film, written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn (Shock Waves), stars a number of actors, including Dana Ashbrook (She's Out of Control), Suzanne Snyder (Weird Science), Marsha Dietlein (Boiler Room), Michael Kenworthy (The Blob, the 1988 remake, not the original with Steve McQueen), and Phil Bruns (Corvette Summer). Also appearing are Thom Mathews (Alien from L.A.) and veteran actor James Karen (The China Syndrome, Poltergeist, Mulholland Dr.), both of whom starred in the first film, but aren't actually reprising their original roles but playing roles very similar....make sense?

So what is the movie about? Well, if you guess zombies, you'd be correct (what gave it away? Was it the use of the term `living dead' in the title?). Okay, the army is transporting these containers, containers filled with some sort of chemical that causes dead tissue to come back to life (such as it is). One of the containers falls of a truck, and some punky kids find it, open it, and let out the noxious gases, which permeate the air near a local cemetery. Sounds bad, but it gets worse...the rain comes, soaking the chemical into the ground, thus re-animating an army of the dormant dead into zombies...and we all know what zombies like to do...eat the flesh of the living (more specifically, within the context of this series, they seem to love to eat the brains of the living). This does not bode well for the nearby town. The town is evacuated and sealed off (the army, or, at least the grunts who are on guard, are informed that the town has been closed due to a plague...yeah, a plague of the dead...and they apparently have orders not to let anyone in or out), except for a small group of people, who must now run for their lives, lest they lose their minds...literally, as the zombies want their `succulent and spicy' gray matter. Will they escape? Or will they suffer the ignominious end of having their brains eaten by those who were once living, now decaying worm fodder?

Mixing horror and comedy is always a tricky proposition, or, as director Wiederhorn puts it, it's the equivalent of cinematic suicide, as horror fans don't generally appreciate having their genre being made fun of, and let's face it, people who enjoy comedies aren't likely to choose a film with a title like Return of the Living Dead Part II when looking for something to watch. Despite all that, I did enjoy the film, even if the humor was a little weak and the movie was short on the gore (given the fact the main character of the film was a small boy, it was pretty much clear from the get go that the gruesome death scenes, even deaths in general, would be far and few between). I thought all the actors did reasonably well, but I thought it kinda odd that Mathews and Karen should play practically the same types of roles as in the first. My favorite character in the film was that of Doc Mandel, played by Bruns. His character seemed similar to that of John Ratzenberg's character in House II (1987) in that they're both quirky, secondary characters that don't actually seem affected by what's happening within the story. I thought the special effects, particularly the zombie make-up, was really excellent and realistic, in terms of what I think zombies would look like (I've never actually seen one in real life, in case you were wondering). The overall story is a bit weak, and this is definitely the least of the three films, the first being the best, followed by the third. The main problem, specifically with this DVD release, is something I alluded to at the beginning, and something other reviewers have already mentioned, in that some of the original musical score has been changed, and not for the better. Why? I have no idea...maybe Warner Brothers was unable to secure the rights to the music or unable to pay the extra costs to do so, but there is good news if you understand French as if you do, you can watch the film with the original musical score as it's intact on that track. Very odd...I guess all I can say is that if you happen to own a previous version, say on VHS or laserdisc, you might want to hang on to it, as it seems like this is what we're stuck with...

The wide screen picture provided on this DVD looks great, and the audio is really pretty good (except for the `new' music, whose audio levels don't even match up with the remaining original audio track). Special features are few, including an original theatrical trailer and a commentary track by the director and one of the lesser actors in the film. The commentary seemed odd, but then I realized that they were recorded separately, and then somewhat sloppily combined into one track. All in all a 2 star release for a 3 ½ star movie.

Cookieman108

I really enjoyed the first Return of the Living Dead. It was silly in some places, but it had some nice zombie effects, and a killer dark ending. The second picture is a little too over the top for me with the silliness. Just the bad 80's hair and music is enough to make you cringe. Thom Mathews and James Karen reprise (sort of) their roles from the first film. The ending leaves a bit to be desired. The third installment of the series is much darker and better than this one. But to be fair, part 2 is light years ahead of the recent direct to dvd sequels 4 and 5.

Gore-infested sequel to Dan O'Bannon's entertaining original is more or less a retread of the first film. Matthews and Karen return as bumbling grave-robbers who once again get chased by those brain-eating ghouls. This time around, they are really playing it for laughs. There are still elements of horror but the comedy is the star here.

The movie opens when the army once again loses a barrel of that top-secret chemical they have been trying to keep under wraps. A group of kids find it stashed away in the graveyard and play with it, resulting in the gas being released once again. Enter Ed (Karen) and Joey (Matthews), two less-than-genius theives who have come to the cemetary to steal jewelry from the tombs. When the dead awaken, it's trouble for everyone as the military quarantines the infected town and a group of panicky people run around, trying to find a way out.

"Return" is nowhere near as good as the original but it does have fun with its script. There are some lightly-hidden references to the first film as well as downright robbing of lines from its script but it's all in fun. It doesn't take such a ridicilous turn that we can't enjoy it (ala "C.H.U.D. II"). Philip Burns, in particular, as the boneheaded drunk Doc Mandel is really good. The film's leads Dana Ashbrook and Marsha Dietlin are a little too "vanilla" at times but Suzanne Snyder as Joey's foul-mouthed girlfriend is a definite plus. Genre fans may recognize Snyder from her role in another great cult film, "Killer Klowns From Outer Space". She is more energetic in this one though as she plays the bratty Brenda very well. She isn't quite a complete mean spirit but she is just snobby and self-centered enough that we enjoy hating her character.

What "Return 2" is missing in substance, it makes up for in gore. This one definetly goes for the juggular or should I say, skull, more than its predacessor. The original "Return" wasn't exactly a light film either but this one really plays out its bloodlust. If you hated the first movie, this won't make you a fan but those who loved it will certainly appreciate it. It stays true to the series without really offering too much new here and if you're expecting that, you will enjoy.

Note: The 1-star rating refers to this release, NOT the film itself.

This is by far not the best zombie film ever created. As a matter of fact it is not one of the best horror films ever created. It is a shadow compared to the original, which is completely hysterical, has very likable characters, yet is serious enough to create solid tension with a sense of forboding doom. Quite simply put, the original has become a masterpiece of 80's cinema. What Return II is, actually, is a slick-looking, cheesey 80's kiddie horror/comedy with good production values and make-up, and a just-likeable enough cast with a few clever touches thrown into the mix (like incorporating two of the lead actors from the original as different characters, paying an amusing homage to the orignal). To tell the truth, over the years, this flick, in all its cheesy glory has risen from the grave of "dead" movies in my heart to the staus of "undead". It has become one of my favorite guilty pleasures, so to speak, and I was looking forward to this DVD release like a warm cup of brains.

That being said, on to the DVD review. Before I go too far, let me just start by saying, I could not stomach to sit through the entire DVD.

From what I did see, picture quality was sharp enough, exhibiting little or no noticable print damage. Colors are bold and sharp in comparison with my VHS copy. Sound quality seems decent enough with little or no noticable hiss.

Here's where the tragedy begins.... Why, oh why, warner?

The soundtrack has been COMPLETELY changed from the version I am used to. (If you don't believe me, toggle through the audio to the french track and you will hear the original mono track.) They also added a CHEESY AS HELL voiceover at the beginning of the film that I guess is meant to explain the goings on from the first flick (treating us like morons, as if none of us have ever seen the orignal and have no clue what is going on). Now this is where I'm confused. The box and copy in the credits still sport the name of the original musician (the same as my VHS copy), J. Peter Robinson. Maybe there was an alternate cut of this film floating around with a different music soundtrack from the same musicain, but I have never heard of such a thing, and the style of the music is a far cry from the version I am used to. I could be mistaken, but the version I am used to on VHS (without that God awful opening dialoge and syth-crap soundtrack) is almost certainly the version I saw on the big screen back in the day. The only thing I can come up with is that maybe Warner wanted to release it with a stereo track and could't translate the original mono well, so they took alternate music from the same artist and substituted it. This is just speculation, but if it is the case, SHAME ON YOU WARNER for even attempting to improve on someone elses art, no matter how crappy that art may be. Remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Or maybe its just another case of the creators tampering with their own work, tirelessy spending there life striving to correct past mistakes, not being able to move on (here's looking at you Mr. Lucas!!!) Move on and let us enjoy the crap we saw when we were young (or masterpiece if you are speaking of Star Wars). Let us continue to enjoy the movies of our youth unaltered, so we can see how advanced we were for the time and/or how far we've come since then.

Whew! Glad I got that off my chest.

Now avoid this release like the plague, and leave Warner to ponder why no one is buying this release. Let the copies rot like corpses on store shelves until Warner or someone else decides to ressurect this unsung slice of zombie cheese from the 80's and give it the attention it has earned.

For now "Send More Paramedics....."

Not so much a sequel as a "re-imagining" (think Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes".) It pretty much gives up on the horror aspect of the original ROTLD and focuses on comedy, sometimes it suceeds in getting a laugh (James Karen's performance is great) but it fails often (the "Thriller" zombie near the end for example.)

However I'd still like to own this on DVD but sadly Warner Brothers hasn't seen fit to release it yet. If you want it on DVD I strongly suggest you write them a letter and ask for one!

Here's their address;
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522