[Review] Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay





I really didn't expect much for Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay.  After all, it's unlikely that a concept that reveled in the stoner-movie paradigm could possibly capture lightning in a bottle twice...could it?  And I loved the first movie so much that it seemed unlikely that the second one would give me any similar level of enjoyment of the first one. 

As it turns out, I was right and wrong.  No, "Harold and Kumar 2" wasn't nearly as funny as the first one, mainly because we had an idea of what to expect.  The element of surprise was gone.  On top of it, they were delving into territory (The War On Terror) that is certainly ripe for satire, but still a current, sensitive event.  In spite of these potential pitfalls, the movie had its moments.  Several of them, actually -- and many of them had me laughing out loud even after a particular scene was over. 

The movie continues to use race as a hot-button topic, and employs Rob Corddry (of The Daily Show fame) as a Homeland Security provocateur with hilarious results.  Neil Patrick Harris returns as a warped version of himself, and the movie does insert blatant references to please fans of the first installment. 

Oddly enough, though, the film stands on its own: it isn't necessary to have seen the first H&K movie to enjoy this one (though it helps).  The biggest problem is the way the plot falls apart at the end; it seemed almost as though the scriptwriters created the funny mess and had no idea how to tie things together and end it, so they took the easy way out. 

That said, H&K2 is still worth watching, hnece thhe 3 ¹/₂ reels rating.  You may not want to pay to see it on the big screen, but if you liked the first one -- or even the idea of the first one -- you'll want to catch it at some point.

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