Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Pink Panther 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Dumb meets predictable.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 1, 2009

Now let me bring you up to speed. We know nothing. You are now up to speed.

Yikes.

We will then crush the critics with one swift stroke!

Unfortunately, stopping there wouldn't fulfill the requirements set forth in the reviewer's credo, so in the name of actually earning the wages garnered for this review, here's the "plot" and a brief explanation as to the hideous events that unfold in The Pink Panther 2, quite possibly the worst Comedy this side of any movie with the word "movie" in its title (or "Spartans" or "Guru"). A mysterious thief known as "The Tornado" has stolen precious artifacts from England, Italy, and Japan. Fearing that the famed Pink Panther gem, which is housed in Paris, may be the next item targeted, an international "dream team" of detectives -- Vicenzo (Andy Garcia, The Untouchables) from Italy, Randall Pepperidge (Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2) from England, and Kenji Mazuto (Yuki Matsuzaki, Letters From Iwo Jima) from Japan -- is assembled to solve the crimes, reveal the identity of the Tornado, and stop him (or her) at all costs before it's too late. In response to the threat posed to the Panther, France, and much to the chagrin of Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese, The Day the Earth Stood Still), chooses to assign the Inspector known for previously rescuing the Panther, Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin, Roxanne), to the team, even though he has recently been demoted to parking ticket duty. "Too late" comes sooner than expected, and the precious pink gem goes missing. The team is later joined by the mysterious Sonia Solandres (Aishwarya Rai) and they set forth to save the day one stumble, bumble, and bad joke at a time.

As laid forth above, the plot doesn't sound too bad. Unfortunately, it gets only a few minutes of screen time, the rest of the movie devoted to a seemingly endless string of vignettes that barely mesh with the primary plot. The Pink Panther 2 embraces the worst kind of storytelling, stretching what probably wouldn't fit into a 30-minute episode of a network TV show into a 90 minute marathon of painfully repulsive antics and bad jokes. One brain-dead situation follows another, with Clouseau making a fool of himself time and again. His antics were almost funny in the first The Pink Panther, but not at all here. The film tries its best to hide the fact that the actual "plot" takes but a few minutes to actually solve once the ball gets rolling. Add in the fact that, just like in the first movie, audiences should be able to figure out the identity of the villain the moment he/she first appears on-screen, and the film becomes even more trifling. The predictable nature of the Pink Panther remakes -- and this second effort in particular -- might have been forgiven had the film actually been funny. Aside from a few honest-to-goodness laugh-out-loud moments in the sequel, the film stumbles as badly as its clumsy hero. It does manage to continue on with the romance that began brewing between Clouseau and Nicole (Emily Mortimer, Redbelt) in The Pink Panther, but it introduces, and completely out of left field at that, several odd character traits, most notably Clouseau's sudden inability to remain politically correct in the workplace. These scenes, featuring Lily Tomlin (The Ant Bully), are the perfect example of everything that's wrong with the picture. They serve no purpose but to pad the runtime and try to make audiences forget how painfully simple and short the main plot of the film actually is.

For such a putrid picture, The Pink Panther 2 sports an all-star cast. Funny man Steve Martin has the Clouseau character down pat, or at least his rendition of the famed detective. The film seems to try and derive a good bit of its "humor" from Martin's French accent, and it banks on several return efforts from the first film -- for instance his pronunciation of the word "hamburger" -- to get the job done. Unfortunately, such attempts often fail miserably this go-round. It gets to the point that the repetitive nature of the character -- he either looks foolish or says something ridiculous in every scene -- grows tiresome quickly, particularly taking into account that most of it has little-to-nothing to do with the plot. As to the other characters, well, they all give it a go, which is high praise for this mess. Unfortunately, Jean Reno's (Ronin) character falls by the wayside here, becoming a tertiary background character with next-to-no-involvement in the story. Also of note is the presence of Jeremy Irons (Die Hard With a Vengeance) in a brief role and the departure of Kevin Kline (Silverado) as Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Smart move, Kevin.

The Pink Panther 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Pink Panther 2 stumbles onto Blu-ray with a gorgeous 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. Lousy movie or not, MGM far more often than not delivers quality Blu-ray discs, and this is no exception. Top-notch detail is visible throughout; the opening sequence featuring Clouseau working with an unruly motorist who refuses a parking ticket reveals striking details across the board, from the clothing to the pavement and the golden leaves that have fallen upon it. Several shots throughout the film that feature shots of Paris' brick-lined streets absolutely sparkle with rich textures and unbeatable clarity. Colors are fabulously rendered throughout. The entire palette takes on a brilliant yet natural tone, each hue practically leaping off the screen in most every shot. Though the transfer delivers good blacks, flesh tones often veer heavily towards the red end of the scale. Nevertheless, a fine layer of grain lends to this Blu-ray transfer of The Pink Panther 2 a standout film-like, high-quality appearance.

The Pink Panther 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Pink Panther 2 bumbles onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though mostly dialogue-centric, this soundtrack delivers the goods when called upon to do so, and with a good deal of clarity to boot. The music at the open -- the Pink Panther theme -- plays to the effect that each instrument may be heard distinctly across the front, yet all meshing together for a lifelike presentation of a classic theme that sounds better than ever. Outside of dialogue and music, the track features only the occasional sound effect of any import, and even fewer still that manage to penetrate the back of the soundstage. One such occurrence comes in chapter 15 as Clouseau falls through a chimney, and at several points throughout the sound of applause fills the listening area from both the front and the back. This Blu-ray release of The Pink Panther 2 delivers a solid, satisfying listen that's a pleasure in the context of a brain dead Comedy.

The Pink Panther 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Pink Panther 2 arrives on Blu-ray as a three-disc set, but delivers only a few throwaway film-related extras. Disc one houses the film and the primary supplements which begin with a gag reel (480p, 3:34). Drama is Easy...Comedy is Dangerous (1080p, 7:43) looks at the hard work that goes into creating a physical Comedy and briefly looks at the making of several of the film's stunts. A Dream Team Like No Other (1080p, 13:56) examines the impressive cast assembled for this film and the characters they portray. The piece also features a look at the implementation of the dialects and accents required of the actors. Finally, Master Thief -- Global Crime Showdown! (1080p) is a game that requires players to answer questions about several global locations in order to steal artifacts. Disc two of this set contains a digital copy of the film. Sampled on a second generation iPod Touch, both video and audio are fine, with strong colors and details on the video side and clear dialogue and music reproduction and a decent sense of space on the audio side.

The true highlight of the package comes on disc three, a DVD where viewers will find 27 classic "Pink Panther" Cartoons. Each is presented in 480p standard definition and, altogether, run for 2:51:38. Episodes include: "The Pink Phink," "Pink Pajamas," "We Give Pink Stamps," "Dial 'P' for Pink," "Stink Pink," "Pickled Pink," "Pinkfinger," "Shocking Pink," "Pink Ice," "The Pink Tail Fly," "Pink Panzer," "An Ounce of Pink," "Reel Pink," "Bully for Pink," "Pink Punch," "Pink Pistons," "Vitamin Pink," "The Pink Blueprint," "Pink, Plunk, Plink," "Smile Pretty, Say Pink," "Pink-a-Boo," "Genie With the Light Pink Fur," "Super Pink," "Rock-a-Bye Pinky," "Pinknic," "Pink Panic," and "Pink Posies."

The Pink Panther 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Pink Panther 2 is the sort of movie that befits a fidgety crowd. No matter how many restroom visits, excursions to the refrigerator, or naps in the easy chair, it's virtually impossible to become lost for lack of information, because chances are the few "important" moments in the film won't be lost to absences from the theater, but even if they are, it's not like one cannot figure out the villain's identity long before Clouseau and gang. Sadly, the film isn't even remotely funny most of the time to make up for its predictable nature. Save for a few good segments, for example a scene featuring Clouseau bumbling around the exterior of a mansion while being observed on a silent array of security monitors, The Pink Panther 2 is one of the least-funny Comedies in recent memory. Nevertheless, this Blu-ray is certainly up to par. MGM has done it again, delivering a disc with well-done video and audio presentations. While there aren't many film-related special features, the included digital copy and disc dedicated to more than two dozen "Pink Panther" cartoons make this one well worth the purchase for those who enjoyed the movie.