5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Picking up where The Prince & Me left off, this sequel to the romantic comedy focuses on the preparations for the royal nuptials between the Danish Prince Edvard (Luke Mably) and his all-American bride-to-be, Paige (Kam Heskin, stepping into the role originally portrayed by Julia Stiles). But the wedding is threatened when the couple discovers an antiquated law that requires the prince marry a woman with royal blood -- or give up his crown.
Starring: Luke Mably, Kam Heskin, Daniel Cerny, Maryam d'Abo, Clemency Burton-HillComedy | 100% |
Romance | 88% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 1.5 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Girl got nothing on you, yo.
And so the journey begins yet again. What was once a singular midline big studio Romantic
Comedy has morphed into a franchise thanks to the wonders of the direct-to-video marketplace,
and the results are expectedly mixed for this, the first of three sequels to follow the semi-popular
Julia
Styles vehicle The Prince & Me. The first two films, developing the happy couple's
relationship from courtship to the royal court of Denmark, yield mixed but generally favorable
results, both pictures innocent, lighthearted, feel-good sorts that offer zero mystery and contrived
drama but deliver the obligatory happily-ever-after ending that's probably the first thing scripted
in
just about all of these sorts of films. The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding follows
formula
so precisely that once the gist of the plot is revealed, there's simply no doubt as to how every
scene
will play out and no question as to how the film will end, but as with any Romantic Comedy, it's
how
the characters get there that's more important than the ever-constant destination. While there's
nothing new
here to report in terms
of plot, structure, or characterization, there's just enough charm and wit to ensure a worthwhile
trip through the zany world of regal love, even if the movie's as predictable as they come.
'Love is like a cheap CGI butterfly...'
The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding weds with Blu-ray and yields a troublesome and unattractive 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The image is consistently flat and textureless, drab and lacking in definition. It fares little better than an unconverted DVD and is abuzz in unattractive and excess noise, with white and pink backgrounds in particular falling victim in every single shot. Colors are underwhelming, even in scenes featuring varied and bright shades of clothing and the well-appointed palatial interiors. Background details -- for instance foliage in outdoor shots and books on shelves in various interiors -- aren't particularly crisp but are surprisingly not smeared or obscured, either. Faces consistently appear pasty and undefined, while flesh tones take on an excessively pink, red, or orange shade, often giving every character the appearance of a bad sunburn or a botched tanning cream application. Additionally, blacks are too powerful, drowning out the image during nighttime scenes and in several darkened interiors. The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding's transfer is in some way problematic in most every scene; videophiles will want to watch while blindfolded.
The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding features a fledgling Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's unimpressive to say the least but passable in presentation. Dialogue presentation is uneven, fluctuates in volume, and is a bit difficult to make out, not because of some thick Danish accents but because of an uneven tone and the occasional competition with surrounding atmospherics and music. The track's musical presentations are wholly generic and uninviting; even the pop and rock beats of several songs, while delivering a hint of low-end support, offer little in the way of superior clarity or a rich, room-filling presence. Background ambience never strays very far from the front half of the soundstage; chirping birds and slight blowing winds provide a hint of atmospherics to several exterior scenes but listeners will never feel as part of the environment or convinced of any semblance of realism. The track does deliver a few discrete surround effects, but nothing to raise the track form the doldrums of mediocrity. This is one of those halfhearted tracks that gets the job done but never go above and beyond the call of duty, but considering that the film is a direct-to-video Romantic Comedy, listeners should reasonably expect little more than a basic presentation.
The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding features only the film's trailer (480p, 2:01) and additional 480p trailers for Christmas Caper, The Apostles of Comedy, Frank, and Finding Rin Tin Tin.
If nothing else, The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding is just good enough to engender a desire to discover what the filmmakers have in store as the central conflict in the next sequel, The Prince & Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon. Chances are that picture will be just as cheaply made and forgettable as this one, but at least Prince & Me 2 delivers as predictable but comforting drivel, the movie little more than filler for the video shelf and fodder for unsuspecting viewers. Still, the movie charmingly hangs its hat on every cliché in the book and delivers a middling but satisfactory paint-by-numbers experience that generally puts the right color on the right digit. First Look's Blu-ray release delivers as-expected of a Direct-to-Video Romantic Comedy, offering a poor 1080p transfer and a stale lossless soundtrack, the disc rounded out by a virtually nonexistent collection of extras. The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding is worth a rental for the Romantic Comedy-inclined, but the poor technical presentation makes this one not worth the money for an outright purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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