A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

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A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - 11/12/2011 5:04:53 PM

Empire Admin

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Round Three and the Duo are Half-Baked. - 11/12/2011 5:08:24 PM

Artificial Luddite

Posts: 8
Joined: 8/11/2011

So much has changed since Harold and Kumar escaped from Guantanamo Bay. Harold (John Cho) landed the role of Sulu in J. J. Abramsâ€™ acclaimed Star Trek reboot (a character he will revisit in 2013). Kumar (Kal Penn), having smoked weed with George W. Bush in Escape From Guantanamo Bay, became an Associate Director for the Obama administration. And Neil Patrick Harris, whilst furthering his womanising image as the philandering Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, publicly came out and announced his engagement to David Burtka.
Sadly, what has also changed for the modern-day Cheech and Chong, is the standard of jokes, scenarios and secondary characters.
Gone are the punctuated, episodic scenes which defined the first two films and saw the duo jump from situations as memorable as racing a cheetah through the woods, attending a bottomless party, hitching a ride with the boil-covered Freakshow, and sharing a bed with a red-neck cyclops-baby. In their latest adventure, Roldy and Kumar get tied-up by Russian gangsters, hallucinate claymation-style, and inadvertently become dancers in a camp stage-show, but each new scenario seems more tired than the last, and lacks the originality of both predecessors.
Gone are the comical-yet-convincing minor characters like the racist Homeland Security Agent (Rob Corddry), the infatuated Male Nurse (Ryan Reynolds), and the helpless Interpreter (Ed Helms). Questionably weaker ones replace these: Kumarâ€™s new-BFF, Adrian (Amir Blumenfeld), overstays his welcome, as does Haroldâ€™s father-in-law (an unexpectedly pedestrian Danny Trejo), and wimpish friend (Thomas Lennon). Sadly, even returning characters, such as bickering Jewish-stoners Rosenberg and Goldstein donâ€™t bring the laughs like they once did.
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is generating a multitude of positive reviews and looks set to become their most successful outing to date. However, as a big fan I was surprised that 3D Christmas did not build upon its former, as Escape From Guantanamo Bay did with Get The Munchies. Aside from a few moments of genuine hilarity, this was not the sharp, laugh-a-minute writing that helped the first two transcend the hapless stoner-movie genre. Scenes are far too rambling and unfocused, losing all energy as a result.
It might be time for the boys to shut their bong-holes.

(in reply to Empire Admin)

Post #: 2

RE: Round Three and the Duo are Half-Baked. - 12/12/2011 10:08:10 AM

Wild about Wilder

Posts: 1481
Joined: 9/4/2010
From: Hertfordshire

As much as I liked the previous 2 films, I wont be seeing this due to the fact obviously it's in 3D why nobody probably includes the cast knows?

(in reply to Artificial Luddite)

Post #: 3

- 13/12/2011 10:00:42 PM

Whistler

Posts: 2274
Joined: 22/11/2006

I went in having not seen the first two movies, meaning I didn't really know what sense of humour they had (but I guessed it was on the rude side based on the 18 certificate). And of course, I was right. Silly gags and a funny cast made it good fun, and overall I enjoyed myself. NPH was the highlight, with Danny Trejo coming in close second as the Mexican, christmas-loving father-in-law. I think I'll seek the first two out now, as I get the idea they're better.

(in reply to Empire Admin)

Post #: 4