There’s something about Wayne’s World 2 that draws the viewer in that was unmatched by its predecessor. From the very start, both films break the fourth wall and make winks and nudges about the predictability of film – but Wayne’s World 2 takes the practice to a whole new level. Yet, even with a self-satirical sense of humor, Wayne’s World 2 can’t bypass the very clear fact that it was made for one and one reason only: the first one made money. The cast and crew even admit as much in the complementary featurette – Wayne’s World 2 isn’t a labor of love but of lucre.
Out of his former studio and living space (his parents’ basement), Wayne (Mike Myers) has relocated to an ex-factory with longtime friend Garth (Dana Carvey). The two still broadcast on Aurora Public Television, Wayne still dates Cassandra (Tia Carrere) from the first film and the two still say “schwing” for every hot woman who passes their way. Garth has a woman he pines for in his shy way and Wayne still has no real job to speak of – the status quo of Wayne’s World has been left intact.
Obviously, with all of that unchanged (besides the location) the film remains in desperate need of a plot. Using the old formula-in-reverse trick, the “fame will change you” theme of the first film shifts to Cassandra while Mike Myers receives visits from a naked Native American and John Morrison’s ghost. Now, Wayne must fight for the woman he loves while organizing a monumental concert as Morrison instructed. In one way, the movie is intentionally light on plot so as to afford as many gags as possible in the sparse 94 minute runtime – and yet, the plot is the next natural progression for the Wayne’s World story. If you have your life in perfect order, all that’s left is to give it some meaning.
Wayne’s World 2 never achieves the level of sight gags of the Naked Gun series, the sense of humor is slightly more two-part than that. Instead, Wayne’s World 2 goes for sight and sound. The most memorable sequence – to this day – still elicits laughs. Cassandra’s father visits from Hong Kong and meets Wayne in his enormous apartment where a sword fight ensues. Why? Because they wanted to pay tribute to old Kung Fu films. Unlike with Tarantino’s version of “respect”, Wayne’s World 2’s sequence is balls to the wall hilarity. Using the Wayne-knows-some-of-every-language joke to full intensity, the two characters choose to take on hilarious voiceovers as they wield swords. It’s all so horribly clichéd and hilarious.
As far as video and audio go, it doesn’t seem like the movie was actually remastered. The hi-definition presentation certainly makes the film look nice, but then again this is Wayne’s World – hi-definition seems unnecessary. The audio is crystal clear and has no foibles or unbalances to speak of.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
I must say, considering the stars of Wayne’s World aren’t all that busy, I’m surprised they couldn’t have arranged for a Mike Myers/Dana Carvey audio commentary. What gives? All we get is a commentary with director Stephen Surjik which just can’t hold interest compared to the hijinx of Myers and Carvey. To be fair, Surjik does offer some cool bits about filming with Aerosmith and the plethora of stars who make cameo appearances. Then we have a rather brief retrospective where Lorne Michaels, Stephen Surjik, Tia Carrere, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey all talk about the experience and (as mentioned) the reason behind Wayne’s World 2.
"Wayne's World 2" is on sale May 12, 2009 and is rated PG13. Comedy. Directed by Stephen Surjik. Written by Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner. Starring Christopher Walken, Mike Myers, Tia Carrere, Dana Carvey, Chris Farley.
