I can't think of too many sequels that are nearly as good as the original. The list gets even smaller for sequels that topped the original. Now Blues Brothers 2000 is horribly bad, even for a sequel. It does serve as a good example of doing a sequel by numbers. First, it needs to have everything that made the original famous. Let's see, huge car chase, check. A great band that can't get a gig, check. Lots of ticked off people in pursuit of the band, check.
Second requirement, the sequel's plot must only deviate slightly from the original. The film "succeeds" here admirably with most of the best remembered jokes and character traits of the original repeated in ever so slightly modified form.
Like most sequels, this movie has no artistic merit whatsoever. It is strictly a cash-in only affair. John Landis hasn't had a success for some time and Dan Aykroyd hasn't had more than supporting roles for a while either. What they've done here however is production line fodder which, ironically for a movie about a blues band, has no soul in it at all.
Obviously this movie doesn't have John Belushi in it which means that one thing that made the first movie great, the interplay between him and Dan Aykroyd is missing here. Now I have a soft spot for John Goodman but it just doesn't work here. At least John Landis and Aykroyd didn't replace John with Jim Belushi, perish the thought. But then they decided to add two additional Blues Brothers, a police officer who during the movie discovers the blues and most annoyingly an 11 year old Blues Brother kid. Someone must have looked at the "Sitcom 101" manual and found in chapter 1, entitled "Kids are cute" the instruction that kids who do adult things are always cute and bring laughs. Well, just like in sitcoms, this turns out to be truly stomach turning.
The really sad thing about this movie is that it hammered home how far in front Hollywood puts making money instead of making great movies.
Second requirement, the sequel's plot must only deviate slightly from the original. The film "succeeds" here admirably with most of the best remembered jokes and character traits of the original repeated in ever so slightly modified form.
Like most sequels, this movie has no artistic merit whatsoever. It is strictly a cash-in only affair. John Landis hasn't had a success for some time and Dan Aykroyd hasn't had more than supporting roles for a while either. What they've done here however is production line fodder which, ironically for a movie about a blues band, has no soul in it at all.
Obviously this movie doesn't have John Belushi in it which means that one thing that made the first movie great, the interplay between him and Dan Aykroyd is missing here. Now I have a soft spot for John Goodman but it just doesn't work here. At least John Landis and Aykroyd didn't replace John with Jim Belushi, perish the thought. But then they decided to add two additional Blues Brothers, a police officer who during the movie discovers the blues and most annoyingly an 11 year old Blues Brother kid. Someone must have looked at the "Sitcom 101" manual and found in chapter 1, entitled "Kids are cute" the instruction that kids who do adult things are always cute and bring laughs. Well, just like in sitcoms, this turns out to be truly stomach turning.
The really sad thing about this movie is that it hammered home how far in front Hollywood puts making money instead of making great movies.