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Blu-ray Review Mannequin 2: On the Move Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Todd Erwin

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Mannequin 2: On the Move Blu-ray Review

Four years after the surprise box office success of Mannequin, Gladden Entertainment, desperate for another hit film, unleashed the sequel Mannequin: On the Move (or as referenced in promotional materials, Mannequin 2: On the Move), a tired retread that only managed to bring back two minor supporting characters from the previous film, resulting in a comedy as lifeless as, well, a mannequin.



Studio: MGM

Distributed By: Olive

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA

Subtitles: None

Rating: PG

Run Time: 1 Hr. 35 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

Blu-ray keepcase

Disc Type: BD25 (single layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 09/22/2015

MSRP: $29.95




The Production Rating: 2/5

In the medieval land of Hauptmann-Koenig, a young prince (William Ragsdale) has fallen in love with a peasant girl, Jessie (Kristy Swanson). The queen (Cynthia Harris) is not happy about this, and dispatches her Sorcerer (Terry Kiser) and the royal guard to intercept the young couple before they elope, placing Jessie under a spell that condemns her to being a mannequin while wearing a jeweled necklace until she finds a true love from another land. Fast forward a thousand years (or so, according to the subtitles), and Count Gunther (Terry Kiser), a descendant of the Sorcerer, is set to take Jessie to Philadelphia as part of a tribute display to Hauptmann-Koenig at the Prince and Company department store. Just prior to the prized mannequin’s arrival in the states, Jason (William Ragsdale) is starting a new job at Prince as an intern to window dresser and now store choreographer Hollywood Montrose (Meshach Taylor, reprising his role from the first film), who is putting together a live show to commemorate the event. Jason meets Jessie, removes her necklace, and she immediately comes to life, thinking Jason is Prince William. Jason takes her out for a night on the town, where she learns about makeup, modern dancing, etc. But the Count had plans to bring Jessie back to life himself and escape to Bermuda with her and his three Chippendale rejects he hired as his bodyguards. Will the Count succeed in taking Jessie away, or will true love win out with Jason and Jessie living happily ever after?

 

Under the direction of Stewart Raffill (who brought us such cinematic gems as Mac and Me, Ice Pirates, and, more recently, Survival Island) with a script by Edward Rugoff, David Isaacs, Ken Levine, and Betsy Israel, Mannequin 2 plays like a very bad sitcom, never really achieving any big laughs. The cast, which also includes Stuart Pankin as the store manager, are never given anything to do, resulting in very one or two dimensional characters. Even the cinematography by Larry Pizer (Phantom of the Paradise) and production design by William J. Creber (Spy Hard) is flat and boring, which, if you’ve ever been inside the former John Wanamaker department store where much of the film was shot, is not an easy task to accomplish. If you thought the Count’s bodyguards were annoying, that's nothing compared to the overuse of the song Can’t Believe My Eyes by Gene Miller, using the actual song as the couple’s love theme rather than an instrumental variation. To prove the producers either ran out of money or ideas, although I was relieved they did not use Can’t Believe My Eyes over the end credits, they did re-use Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship from the first film. And is it me, or is it kind of creepy for Prince William and his mother the Queen to be spitting images to the present day Jason and his mother? If there is any bright spot in the film, then it would be the cameo by Wendy Worthington as the museum tour guide that bookends the film.



Video Rating: 3/5  3D Rating: NA

The 1080p transfer included on this Olive Blu-ray release retains the film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and was compressed using the AVC codec. Colors appear accurate and are not oversaturated. Contrast is a bit weak, resulting in some occasional crushing in the blacks. Detail is acceptable, and varies from scene to scene. The print used is in decent shape, although there are some brief specks of dirt here and there.



Audio Rating: 3/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track is serviceable, providing clear dialogue and some directional sound effects in the left and right channels, as well as music, with some minor bleeding to thew surrounds when played back in Pro-Logic mode.



Special Features Rating: 0/5

This disc contains no special features whatsoever.



Overall Rating: 2.5/5

All this Blu-ray provides is an upgraded picture and lossless audio over the previous barebones DVD release by MGM several years ago. If you're a fan of the movie, then you may want to consider picking it up. However, as I’ve said on numerous occasions, comedies that aren’t particularly funny are often painful to sit through. And Mannequin 2: On the Move is such a movie.


Reviewed By: Todd Erwin


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skylark68

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Funny. I remember seeing this film at release but I remember absolutely nothing about it. I guess i'm not missing anything.
 

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