Crank 2: High Voltage [Blu-ray]

Jul 21, 2010 08:18:33

Brand : LIONS GATE HOME ENT.

Get Special Offer!

Product Overviews

The critics have not been very kind to Crank: High Voltage. But what do they know? Here’s what this movie has going for it: gratuitous nudity, mindless violence, constant profanity, and a ridiculous storyline. Add to that stereotypes galore (gay, Asian, Latino, the neuropsychiatrically disabled, you name it), strippers with guns, a strike by porn actors (with a cameo appearance by Ron Jeremy), and a guy who refers to his heart as a "strawberry tart," and one can only wonder what’s not to like. In fact, writer-director-producers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s sequel to 2006’s Crank is an absolute hoot, a non-stop assault of crazy sights and sounds that will leave you breathless and laughing. As the action starts, Jason Statham’s Chev Chelios has not only survived the fall from a helicopter that ended the earlier film, but is now on the operating table, awake and watching as some Chinese villains harvest his "tart" in order to implant it in their aging leader (a wacky turn by David Carradine). Chev quickly dispatches the bad guys, but the fun’s just starting; the mechanical ticker they’ve put inside him needs constant recharging, so as Chev pursues the real organ, he must use whatever’s available (jumper cables, a police taser, a car cigarette lighter, high voltage power lines) to keep the fake one going. Storywise, that’s about it. But it’s plenty, as the filmmakers’ ultra-kinetic style--with its manic edits, cartoony subtitles, and other envelope-stretching effects--and amusing performances by Amy Smart (as Chev’s girlfriend), Dwight Yoakam (as a "doctor" who helps him figure out what’s happening), and others keep things going. No, Crank: High Voltage ain’t exactly Masterpiece Theater, but this is without a doubt one of 2009’s most entertaining films. --Sam Graham

Crank 2: High Voltage [Blu-ray] Reviews By Customers

Jason Statham has been in his share of odd movies and this ones no exception - most people even looking at this title have seen the first one and have an idea of what to expect - an over the top, "extreme" movie with a ridiculous story and some crazy action sequences. If that's what you want, this is the movie for you to get. If you're looking for a masterpiece movie with a serious story, step away now!

(Possible spoilers for the first 5 minutes of the movie (including the end of Crank 1))

The first movie ends with Statham falling out of a helicopter and smacking the concrete below, and that's just where this one begins (literally!) - being Crank, he lives and just gets up to walk away from it. He's quickly taken away to have his heart removed to be implanted into someone else (if he can live through everything in the first film, it's gotta be something amazing!). With his heart gone, he's living off a very-poor-quality artificial one.. with a low battery which he constantly needs to power (and as you can imagine, that includes all sorts of nonsense methods) - he goes on a search to get his heart back. While all this seems crazy, this is just the first 5 minutes - along the way he runs into every odd person you can imagine. If this seems like the stupidest movie you've ever heard, stop reading now! If you're interested in that much, I think you'll enjoy the movie. It's a crazy ride, but an entertaining one (definitely not for kids).

The blu-ray is one of the best looking ones I've seen. I believe it was filmed with the RED cameras, and has a very sharp image throughout. This makes a wonderful demo piece for a nice HDTV!

Audio is also top notch - DTSHD 7.1 Master Audio. Crank it up! (no pun intended)

The extras are also very good - including a nice behind the scenes piece and even picture-in-picture commentary. Everything in HD, along with a digital copy for your ipod/iphone/ipad/itunes.

If you can enjoy the over-the-top movies like Deathrace, Smokin Aces and Gamer, this fits right in.

A complete waste, nothing like the first film. - Puzzle box - Kuwait
While the first film was outrageous and over the top, the sequel to Crank attempts to bring the whole thing up a notch and not in a good way. There were way too many ridiculous and idiotic scenes. The first one managed to take an insane concept and turn it into an enjoyable, over-the-top action movie which would have Quentin Tarrintino enjoying his QT pants off! I loved the first one, it was quirky and did not take itself seriously at all yet you got this sense of danger from Jason's character which kept the pace going nicely and had you on the edge of your seat. Yes it had fast in-your-face editing but it worked for the most part and wasn't done too much. Now comes the sequel, the director definitely knows how to mess up a sequel and does it with complete disregard for a proper storyline or script. Chev Chelios survives a fall from the sky, sort of. He's in an unknown location, sedated, while various Chinese gang members are harvesting his organs. His heart is gone, in an ice chest; a temporary in its place. Chev escapes, knowing only the name of the guy with the ice chest. He calls Doc Miles, an unlicensed cardiologist, who tells him there's only an hour's life in the artificial heart so he has to keep it charged. I must admit I did laugh a couple of times, but there were several scenes within the film that were truly awful like the bizare Godzila fight and a chat show with Geri Halliwel!? in a flashback sequence and a sex scene in the race tracks (not funny this time) that did not make any sense but was just there for young adolescent boys. If you have 90+ minutes to waste, go for it. Otherwise I cannot recommend watching this.

Read Full Reviews!

Did someone owe someone a favor? - Roland A. Cordar - CA
This movie seems thrown together and dialogue written by a 16 year old. This franchise died 5 minutes into this sequel. Does Jason have no shame?

Read Full Reviews!