April 1, 2014
Anchorman 2
Kevin Taft READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Arguably one of the funniest sequels to come down the pike in a while, the home video release of "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" comes not only with the hilarious theatrical version, butwith an all-new two and a half hour alternate version. This brand new assemblage of the film consists of "763 new jokes" and basically consists of different takes of every scene with a bunch of new stuff thrown in, including two musical numbers.
Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner all reprise their roles as the infamous news team who come back together to be a part of the first 24-hour news outlet. Along the way Ron Burgundy goes blind, his ex-wife Veronica (Christina Appelgate) gets involved with a therapist (Greg Kinnear), Ron has an affair with his African-American boss (Linda Jackson), and a new nemesis rears his head in the form of Jack Lime (played by hunk James Marsden).
If you like your comedy fast and thick, a little dirty, and a little strange, look no further. The two movies alone are worth the price of the disc. But truth be told, the alternate "Super-Sized R-Rated Version" isn't quite as funny as the theatrical. It's still plenty amusing for fans, but the one that was released is comedy gold.
The 3-disc set is packed with extras including Commentary by Cast and Crew, Behind the Scenes featurettes, 2 Gag Reels, 2 Line-o-Ramas, and Cast Table Reads. Most of these features are just excuses for the filmmakers to show pretty much every single possible take the cast did as they improvised their way through the film. It's pretty funny, for sure, but you might have to take a break here and there.
The second disc with the Alternate Movie on it has even more extras, also mostly just different versions of scenes with some behind the scenes footage thrown in. There's 90 minutes of Deleted, Extended & Alternate Scenes, 4 Featurettes including one on the musical numbers, and another focusing on the RV sequence, plus cast audition tapes and trailers.
If you're a fan, it's definitely worth picking up!
"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
$39.99
www.paramount.com
Kevin Taft is a screenwriter/critic living in Los Angeles with an unnatural attachment to 'Star Wars' and the desire to be adopted by Steven Spielberg.