6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he's forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
Starring: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Will Forte, Andy SambergFamily | 100% |
Animation | 85% |
Comedy | 69% |
Fantasy | 63% |
Sci-Fi | 17% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There's no such thing as small science...only small scientists.
Nothing is small in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, a buffet of color and oversized food products that have not merely descended onto
Swallow Falls but overrun it, literally, now that it's all sprouted legs and minds of its own. Sony Animation has now squeezed two feature
films out of Author Judi Barrett's 32-page 1978 children's book, a staple of Elementary school libraries and now filling two spaces on the family home
entertainment shelf. The sequel, as sequels are prone to do, doesn't quite live up to the magic of the original, that film a also spectacle of multicolored food products and filled to the
brim with
charm and heart. The sequel features more of the former but less of the latter, telling a story that's a little less
filling but tasty
nonetheless, a quick and easy desert to the first film's gourmet main course. Core audience members -- young kids who fell in love with the original
-- will find just as much to dazzle the eyes and delight the ears here. It's a big adventure with all the old characters and a few new ones in tow, and
even absent that innate charm, most parents will find in the movie enough pleasure to make it worth sitting down as a family to give it a watch, or
ten.
The gang's all here.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 looks about as one might expect on Blu-ray 3D, sporting a stunning general picture quality and a strong 3D support presentation. As for the former first, the picture excels, as it does on the standalone 2D image. If there's a drop-off in color vibrancy, as there sometimes can be on the 3D side of transfers, it's nearly imperceptible here. Sony's 3D transfer retains the dazzling array of bold, brilliant colors and never fails to dazzle even through the filter of the 3D glasses. Image clarity remains rock-solid, too, and the 1080p presentation showcases every last millimeter of digital detail around the food-infested world of Swallow Falls. The 3D elements are nearly as impressive. While there aren't a lot of moments that explode out of the screen -- the most prominent being a literal explosion of color when a "party box" bursts prematurely or, perhaps better said, accidentally and at the wrong time for poor Flint -- the transfer does showcase continuous and believable depth of field, whether spacing between distant objects within larger, open spaces or more intermediate and intimate room between subjects. Titles float off the screen naturally at the beginning for a quality 3D effect. The 3D image never goes too dark, either. This is a hugely impressive effort, perhaps not a truly dazzling 3D image but easily one of the better animated presentations out there.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is right there with the video, beat for beat, in terms of quality throughout. It does everything very well, filling the stage with a variety of interesting elements and musical notes, all presented with pinpoint accuracy and clarity. Musical numbers are lively and naturally spaced, spreading evenly across the front and finding just the right amount of surround support across the back. The low end is never truly dominant but it's nicely supportive and full when necessary. The food- and foodimal-infested world of Swallow Falls comes to life with a wide variety of nuanced and front-and-center elements alike. The stage often fills with dynamic sound effects and environmental supporting pieces to better define the environment and add some spice to the film. Even the heaviest sound effects, such as stampeding "bananas," power through the listening area with an exciting presence and high sonic accuracy. Dialogue plays evenly from the center and is the finishing touch on a dominant and dynamic listen.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2's 3D release contains all of the following supplements on the included 2D-only disc. The 3D disc
contains only the commentary and previews in 3D.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 won't cause any indigestion, but neither is it a feast for anything but the eyes. The story lacks originality but certainly not creativity as Flint and company embark on an adventure quite unlike anything moviegoers have ever seen, or even imagined, before. The jokes come quickly and seem to always hit, but that's abut it. The movie feels terribly superficial, dabbling in themes that are nothing but staples of the modern animation genre. Still, that's enough to call the movie a success, something the young ones in the audience will eat up while still suitably palatable for the adults accompanying them. Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 features reference video, strong 3D, excellent audio, and a nice little assortment of extra content. Recommended.
2013
+ Lunch Box
2013
+ Barry Plush
2013
with Bonus Disc
2013
Ugly Christmas Sweater Slipcover
2013
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