The Hangover 2 DVD

The Hangover Part 2 came to the big screen in May and is due for release on DVD and Blu-ray on December 5^th.  Just in time to make a great Christmas present. If you haven’t guessed, this is the sequel to the 2009 film The Hangover which was a massive box office hit. Directed by Todd Philips, this comedy is set two years after the Las Vegas party and ensuing hangover that we saw in the original film.

This time we see the boys flying to Thailand for Stu’s wedding to the beautiful Lauren (Jamie Chung), and as you’d expect all sorts of calamities befall them. On the morning of the wedding after having nipped out for just one beer the night before, they wake up with the proverbial hangover, in a Bangkok apartment, with some missing memories, and more importantly a missing Teddy (Mason Lee)  – the sixteen year old brother-in-law-to- be! Alan (Zach Galifianakis) awakes to find his head shaved, Stu (Ed Helms) has a tattoo on his face, and where did that monkey come from?

The boys have to retrace the steps of their crazy evening and piece together what happened to try and find Teddy before the wedding. We go on their hilarious journey with them, to the depths of the seedier parts of Bangkok, to discover what exactly went on last night. Not so much a who-dunnit as a why-dunnit!

If you’ve seen The Hangover then you’ll love this film. A lot of the same characters feature, and the humour is of the same hilarious high standard. There are also plenty of references to the first film so if you haven’t seen it, I urge you to watch it while you’re waiting  for this release, to get the most from the jokes, although it’s by no means necessary and the film does work perfectly well on its own.

There are obvious similarities between The Hangover and The Hangover Part 2, it was a winning formula the first time, so I for one am pleased they haven’t changed the general premise too much, but there’s enough difference to keep even the biggest critic happy, and of course a whole heap of new jokes and ridiculous situations!

The laughs are really packed into this one, I found it even funnier than The Hangover, although some of the jokes are more shocking than in the last film, you’ll find yourself cringing and laughing out loud at the same time, but don’t worry it never gets too bad, it just goes a step or two further than the original film.

The cast puts on a fabulous performance.  I guess from working together on the first film, it’s only natural that they would really gel in The Hangover Part 2 and we really see this, they are a very convincing bunch of mates! We’re also treated to Mike Tyson playing himself in a cameo role, and… he sings!

You’ll most likely spend the film laughing at the dialogue, but do take notice of the setting too, Todd Philips has done a fabulous job of capturing the dark, sinister and sleazy side of Bangkok in his inimitable epic style.

Pay attention to the scene where Stu discovers the tattoo on his face and note the reaction from Phil (Bradley Cooper) this was actually Bradley’s real reaction and Director Todd Philips decided to leave it in. Also, don’t turn off the DVD before the credits roll, or you’ll miss a series of funny stills, and believe me, you don’t want to miss them – I’m not saying any more on that one!

I’m often wary of sequels, fearing that with a big hit film like The Hangover, it’s too easy to create something mediocre then hope it sails on the name alone, but this isn’t the case at all with The Hangover Part 2, it’s a great film in its own right, and I for one enjoyed it even more than its predecessor and can’t wait for the DVD release.

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