Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising [Blu-Ray]

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron Rose Byrne

Release Date: September 20, 2016

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Now that Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs. But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a hard–partying, out-of-control sorority, led by Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz). Mac and Kelly are forced to team up with their charismatic ex-neighbor and now secret weapon, Teddy (Zac Efron), since the ladies of Kappa Nu aren’t going down without a fight.  It’s parenthood vs. sisterhood when the new neighbors assert their right to party just as hard as the boys.

‘Neighbors 2’ rejoins married couple Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) who with their second child now on the way decide to make a change and head out to the fancy suburbs to begin anew with their soon to be extended family. Having already purchased a new home, they have finally found a buyer for their current home, the only thing remaining is to wait for escrow to close. Unfortunately for the terribly unlucky couple, a new sorority has formed and moved in next door, intent on demanding equal rights between fraternities and sororities by attempting to throw some of the wildest parties in the school’s history. Now Mac and Kelly must enlist the help of their previous arch nemesis Teddy (Efron) if they stand any chance of getting rid of the sorority before the new buyers randomly stop by and back out of the sale as a result.

Directed once again by Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) who also co-wrote the sequel with the two writers of the first film Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien, in addition to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This Is The End, The Interview), and Stoller does a solid job back at the helm of ‘Neighbors 2’ delivering both a solid sequel and an overall comedy. The film also owes plenty of credit to the hilarious individuals that comprise the cast including both numerous returning folks from the first film and some notable new additions including Seth Rogen, Zac Efron Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ike Barinholtz, Kiersey Clemons, Dave Franco, Jerrod Carmichael and many more, nearly all of whom deliver humorous and fitting performances in each of their respective roles.

‘Neighbors 2’ is a more than competent sequel that holds up surprisingly well with its predecessor, delivering all of the laughs and insanity fans of the original have come to expect, while introducing a few changes in the formula to keep things from becoming overly repetitive. Often hilarious, shocking and just outright entertaining, anyone who enjoyed ‘Neighbors’ is likely to have just as much fun with this humorous follow-up. Capably guided by director Nicholas Stoller who also directed the first film and complimented by a number of returning cast members and newcomers alike including Seth Rogen, Zac Efron Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz and many more, ‘Neighbors 2’ may not be the monumental breakout comedy of the decade, but it’s certainly one truly fun ride that delivers the laughs and some heart along with it. I would definitely recommend that any fan of the original make sure and check this one out when you have the opportunity to do so, chances are you won’t be the slightest bit disappointed. Those who enjoy similar raunchy comedies and may have missed both of the ‘Neighbors’ films will also want to make sure and give them a whirl; they are well worth the cost of a rental at the very least.

Overall, ‘Neighbors 2’ is a well constructed and delivered sequel that provides a healthy quantity of laughs and plenty of ridiculous and often hilarious fun from start to finish. Once again guided by returning director Nicholas Stoller and featuring all of your favorite characters/actors from the first entry and some unique new arrivals, ‘Neighbors 2’ is definitely worth checking out for anyone who enjoyed the first film or simply enjoys raunchy comedy films of a similar nature, although I would urge the latter to give the first entry a whirl before jumping into the sequel if possible.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Neighbors 2’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic as a whole and delivers a sharp and detailed presentation from start to finish with no notable faults to be found within. Complimented by a more than adequate bitrate, it holds up admirably even during the darkly lit and heavily populated sequences, never resulting in anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a wonderful high definition video presentation that should easily please both the casual viewer and fans of the series.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack provides a clean, discrete and highly competent audio presentation throughout. Utilizing all five available channels on numerous occasions in order to send the thumping music from the party sequences, along with crowd chatter and more throughout the various speakers fairly often, while never causing any dialogue which may happen to be occurring simultaneously to become distorted, let alone rendered inaudible. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Neighbors 2’ includes a number of amusing extras. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Director/Co-writer Nicholas Stoller and Producer James Weaver’, in addition to a number of ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the film (running approximately 24 minutes in length altogether), a ‘Gag Reel’ (running approximately 4 minutes), a ‘Line-O-Rama’ (approximately 5 minutes) and a collection of Behind the Scenes Featurettes that include interviews/comments with the cast and crew, behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are: ‘Nu Neighbors’ (approximately 8 minutes), ‘The Prodigal Bros. Return’ (5 minutes), ‘Girls Rule’ (6 minutes), and ‘The Ultimate Tailgate’ (5 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD & Digital HD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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