The first "Hot Shots", whilst not exactly bowling the critics over, remains a popular addition to the spoof genre. But despite having seen the original many times, the sequel had largely passed me by. I guess I wasn't that bothered by it - how many spoof sequels can you think of that match the original - but thankfully, I shouldn't have been that worried. By switching its focus from mocking "Top Gun" to the likes of "Rambo", "Robocop" and "Commando", the film retains its delightfully silly outlook on things but still goes for the jugular against a soft target.
Rock God from Mars Charlie Sheen returns as Topper Harley who has now left the military and is living a simpler life in a Tibetan monastery after having his heart broken by his former squeeze Ramada (Valeria Golino). But Topper is soon back in action after President Tug Benson (Lloyd Bridges) sends Colonel Walters (Richard Crenna) and CIA agent Michelle Huddlestone (Brenda Bakke) to get Topper leading a rescue mission in Iraq to free the guys who were sent to free the guys who were sent to free hostages from the first Gulf War. But as before, there is a saboteur in the side and soon, Topper must seriously rack up the body count in order to get the job done.
"Hot Shots: Part Deux" is not a film to take seriously - this is as stupid a film as I can recall. Like the first, it crams every scene with sight gags, one liners and slapstick and also like the first, a fair number do raise a smile if few out-and-out laughs. It isn't anything like as funny as its spiritual predecessors like "Airplane!" or "The Naked Gun", despite the director being one of the three responsible for them. However, it is funnier than modern spoofs like "Scary Movie" or "Meet The Spartans" but to be frank, I find the BBC News channel funnier than those films. Sheen is surprisingly funny as Topper, aping Sly Stallone perfectly despite launching a chicken from a longbow with intent, and so is Crenna who is basically playing his "Rambo" character for laughs instead. The rest of the cast do OK, mainly following Bridges lead but he does provide another link to the earlier, better movies. It's as if the film makers were pleading for legitimacy, saying that this is a proper spoof even if there is no Leslie Nielsen in it.
I understand that "Rambo"-style films aren't exactly hard to spoof but "Hot Shots: Part Deux" does a decent job of bringing them down a peg or two. It isn't a laugh-a-minute mickey-take but it does make you smile and remind you how utterly stupid most action movies from that era actually are. Even compared to the first "Hot Shots!", it holds up pretty well but I couldn't escape the sense that they were trying a bit too hard. What made the likes of "Airplane!" so special was the screenplay which was simply hilarious on its own. There was no need for special effects besides the crude aeroplane model being buffeted by lightning - the lines and performances were enough. Here, the gags are almost drowned out by the explosions and fire fights - each scene simply takes its cue from scenes in other films but replays them for laughs. Nothing wrong with that, as such, but I just preferred the earlier spoofs to these ones. And remember, it's been a long time since spoof movies enjoyed this level of success.
Rock God from Mars Charlie Sheen returns as Topper Harley who has now left the military and is living a simpler life in a Tibetan monastery after having his heart broken by his former squeeze Ramada (Valeria Golino). But Topper is soon back in action after President Tug Benson (Lloyd Bridges) sends Colonel Walters (Richard Crenna) and CIA agent Michelle Huddlestone (Brenda Bakke) to get Topper leading a rescue mission in Iraq to free the guys who were sent to free the guys who were sent to free hostages from the first Gulf War. But as before, there is a saboteur in the side and soon, Topper must seriously rack up the body count in order to get the job done.
"Hot Shots: Part Deux" is not a film to take seriously - this is as stupid a film as I can recall. Like the first, it crams every scene with sight gags, one liners and slapstick and also like the first, a fair number do raise a smile if few out-and-out laughs. It isn't anything like as funny as its spiritual predecessors like "Airplane!" or "The Naked Gun", despite the director being one of the three responsible for them. However, it is funnier than modern spoofs like "Scary Movie" or "Meet The Spartans" but to be frank, I find the BBC News channel funnier than those films. Sheen is surprisingly funny as Topper, aping Sly Stallone perfectly despite launching a chicken from a longbow with intent, and so is Crenna who is basically playing his "Rambo" character for laughs instead. The rest of the cast do OK, mainly following Bridges lead but he does provide another link to the earlier, better movies. It's as if the film makers were pleading for legitimacy, saying that this is a proper spoof even if there is no Leslie Nielsen in it.
I understand that "Rambo"-style films aren't exactly hard to spoof but "Hot Shots: Part Deux" does a decent job of bringing them down a peg or two. It isn't a laugh-a-minute mickey-take but it does make you smile and remind you how utterly stupid most action movies from that era actually are. Even compared to the first "Hot Shots!", it holds up pretty well but I couldn't escape the sense that they were trying a bit too hard. What made the likes of "Airplane!" so special was the screenplay which was simply hilarious on its own. There was no need for special effects besides the crude aeroplane model being buffeted by lightning - the lines and performances were enough. Here, the gags are almost drowned out by the explosions and fire fights - each scene simply takes its cue from scenes in other films but replays them for laughs. Nothing wrong with that, as such, but I just preferred the earlier spoofs to these ones. And remember, it's been a long time since spoof movies enjoyed this level of success.