Review of American Pie 2 (Unrated, widescreen)

Introduction

American Pie proved to be surprisingly successful at the cinema, taking over $200 million worldwide and making stars out of its young cast. The film revived "gross-out" teen comedy and a sequel was inevitable - American Pie 2 did even better than its predecessor, taking over $275 million at the box office, and again spawning both R-rated and unrated Region 1 DVDs.

The first film looked at a group of school buddies having their last summer together before heading off to college. The summer`s activity revolved around them all trying to get laid so that they weren`t virgins when they went to college. The second film is set a year later, as they all return from college to spend summer together, and yes, you`ve guessed it, they are all still desperate to get laid. To improve their chances of scoring, they hire a big house on the beach and set to work planning the part to end all parties. Jim is really keen to brush up on his technique before Nadia arrives at the end of the summer...

Video

The video is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and is of good quality, as you would expect from a major movie which was released at the cinema last year. There is no sign of dirt on the print, and the image is free from grain. There are no compression problems and the picture is stable and colourful.

As far as visuals go, they are well shot and of course centre on the numerous gags. The first movie had the infamous scene with the pie, and Nadia and Jim getting it on (or rather trying to) over the internet. The second movie has a scene where the lads think that the two women in the house they are painting are lesbians, and set about to try and prove it, and Jim mistaking superglue for lubricant, and sticking himself to, er, himself. These two scenes, along with the numerous other gags, are all well presented and have the desired effect.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 - I watched with the DTS 5.1 sound which as usual gives a little more range and power.

This isn`t a sound effects movie - just dialogue and music - both of which are very well presented. The first film had a very popular soundtrack and the second follows the same path - with plenty of loud music throughout. The dialogue is always clear and understandable.

Features

There is quite a large selection of extras, which includes four commentary tracks, a making-of, outtakes, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, "classis movie lines", a music video "Be Like That" from 3 Doors Down, musical highlights, production notes, filmmaker bios plus some DVD-ROM extras - something for everyone.

The film is packaged in a black Amaray case, which contains an insert with the production notes and details of the 20 chapter breaks.

Conclusion

Overall, a sequel was inevitable given the success of the first movie, and for the opening fifteen to twenty minutes of American Pie 2, I was beginning to wonder if the film would even come up to half the standard of the original. Luckily, things soon pick-up and once the laughs start, the film barely puts a foot wrong - delivering exactly what you expect.

The four primary male characters from the first film reprise their original roles, but Steve Stifler has a much bigger part in the sequel, which primarily involves being rude to someone! Jim`s dad also continues his understanding of his son`s problems and still dishes out some hilarious advice. There are various set-piece scenes, with the two "lesbians" and the superglue of particular note, and there are numerous absolutely hilarious moments.

Video and sound are both good, and there is a good range of extras.

In summary, a good sequel that delivers on its promise after a slow start.