Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 21, 2016

There are few things in this world worse than bad neighbors. Apartment dwellers are probably all-too-familiar with those obnoxious heavy footfalls above and racket at all hours of the day and night outside in the breezeways or down in the parking lots. Things sometimes don't get better when one upgrades to a house. Smaller lots might mean less maintenance, but neighbors in close proximity can still be a nuisance, especially if they have an unrelenting barking dog. That's the worst. OK, maybe second worst. A 24/7 college party zone next door takes the cake. And when one is trying to sell said house next to said sorority, well, good luck. May as well throw some train tracks on the other side. That's the gist of Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the sequel to 2014's Neighbors that returns Director Nicholas Stoller and Stars Seth Rogen and Zac Efron for another round of neighborly chaos, this time when a newly formed sorority, led by Chloë Grace Moretz, raises unholy hell. Noisy racket meets desperate sellers in a battle of wits, wills, and anything goes in the name of "old vs. young." Bring on country living.

Mac (Seth Rogen) and his pregnant wife Kelly (Rose Byrne) are eager to sell their home. They've got a buyer with interest and, when they agree to take the house, things are looking up. They're ready to move into their new digs and leave the old home behind, but there's a catch: their current dwelling is in escrow for the next 30 days, meaning that the buyers can back out with no penalty, and for any reason. Seems simple enough. They want the house, and there's nothing to bring the home's value down, so no big deal, right? Meanwhile, a few college freshmen -- Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemons), and Nora (Beanie Feldstein) -- learn that sororities, by law, cannot host parties. They attend a frat party and are disgusted with what they find. They decide to start their own sorority, in their own house, free from the rules and regulations governing the others. The house they find just so happens to be next door to Mac and Kelly. It's big enough, but it's going to cost them $5,000 per month. That's too much, but ex resident Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) agrees to help them get off the ground. Mac and Kelly are shocked and suddenly find themselves in a bind: their current house isn't going to make it out of escrow with a noisy sorority next door and they're going to be stuck with two houses on their hands. They politely ask the girls to keep things on the down-low for a month, but they refuse and double down on their right to party and ruin the lives of the "old people" next door.

Neighbors 2 does just enough to keep itself eventful, finding and maintaining an agreeable pace throughout. It's quick and tidy, managing to get the most out of a simple premise and working through a few enjoyable gags, small and large scale alike, that don't up the stakes or even the movie's scale but that continue to escalate the feud in a way that flows but manages to get nuttier and nuttier with each passing tit-for-tat attack and retaliation. There are some clever scuffles and entertaining bouts of high energy back-and-forths that play on the characters' strengths and weakness, both individually and on a broader collective level, particularly as the film shifts to include more combatants and the theme of "young vs. old" comes into focus. The writing team, despite wrenching in political overtones that undercut the comedy, keeps things chugging with mostly honest character development for returning series veterans and building just enough verve and vigor in its sorority sister newcomers to give this second film both a familiar cadence and a fresh coat of paint.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising was digitally photographed, and the results on Blu-ray are fine, if not a bit ordinary. For the most part, the image satisfies. It's very clean and smooth, presenting details with fine basic definition. Facial textures such as beards and pores present with enough complexity to please, but not enough to really stretch the format's capabilities. Clothing lines are sharp and backgrounds, such as odds and ends inside the dueling houses, reveal a satisfactory level of general texturing. The image does go a bit smudgy at times, rendering mostly background objects, but occasionally mid ground characters, with a mild smeariness. Colors are good, presenting with a commendable neutrality that sees the brighter shades pop and supportive, less dynamic hues holding their own. Black levels and flesh tones present no real issues. Noise does spike in some lower light shots, and a bit of aliasing creeps into a few scenes, notably along some of the straight lines on a car parked in a garage around the 1:09:00 mark. It's an unremarkable image at this point in the format's lifespan, but it gets the job done without much trouble along the way.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising features a solid all-around DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's about as one would expect, with bursts of high energy music and bass during some of the densely packed parties with booming music in play. Indeed, various scenes explode from the speakers with mood-defining surges of bass and a heathy allotment of background din, with one of the best coming about midway through the movie at the "tailgate" sequence. Things quiet down to prioritize dialogue, which is always clear and detailed with firm center placement. A few good discrete effects pop in every now and then with good full-stage engagement. A few light environmental atmospherics also chime in to better define several moments. The track doesn't stand out in any way, but it features solid construction and delivery through all of the movie's needs.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising contains a hodgepodge of extras, including a commentary, several featurettes, and the obligatory deleted scenes package. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are also included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 24:14 total runtime): Never Drink the Punch, Projecting the Future, I'm Not Gonna Cry, We're Not Bros Anymore, Future Pranks, Airbag Redux, You Are So Vascular, Do the Handshake, It's Not Safe, Shelby Fights the Raiders, A Normal, Friendly Conversation, and Holes Before Poles.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 4:24).
• Line-O-Rama (1080p, 4:48): Alternate lines from the shoot.
• Nu Neighbors (1080p, 8:09): A look at writing the script, the challenges inherent in making a sequel, the evolution from the first film, the boundary-pushing comedy, stunt work, and the potential for additional franchise entries.
• The Prodigal Bros Return (1080p, 5:01): A quick look at some of the male characters in the film and a few choice moments are reviewed (including the, uh, "selfie" gag).
• Girls Rule (1080p, 6:14): A closer look at some of the key female characters, the plot points surrounding them, and some of the choice moments in which they feature.
• The Ultimate Tailgate (1080p, 5:09): Making one of the key sequences from the film.
• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Nicholas Stoller and Producer James Weaver talk up the film.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is a fun little movie. It doesn't bring much new to the screen, but it's comfortable in its frivolity and vulgarity alike. Performances are enthusiastic and pacing is just right. Universal's Blu-ray delivers good video, fine audio, and a healthy allotment of bonus content. Recommended.