Hamlet 2: A Reluctant Review

[barondave]

If you like South Park, you may like parts of Hamlet 2. Dreadful, absolutely dreadful. I barely made it to the end. A no-talent drama teacher in a low-budget high school in Tuscon works for gas money. All of a sudden, the school cancels all other electives and the class has an influx of new students who don't care about drama. He can't deal.

Really, it's a pretty bad movie. But it has nuggets of fun stuff. Mostly, the actual play itself. Somewhat to my surprise, the little snippets of Hamlet 2, and the audience reaction, almost rescue the movie. Almost. You have to wallow through an hour of profanity, stupid plotlines and predictable set-ups before you get to the main event.

I've never heard of most of the actors, and could live without ever hearing of them again. The "device" to have a sequel to a movie where everyone dies at the end is... a time machine. Plus Jesus, telling Hamlet he has to forgive his father. The light saber duel between Hamlet and Laertes is pretty good. I don't feel remotely guilty about these mild spoilers. If you liked the two songs from the play, "Raped In The Face" (really) and "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" (which works), you can sing along with one of the extras.

Elizabeth Shue is terrific. She plays Elizabeth Shue, who has given up acting to be a nurse.

Without the play, I would give Hamlet 2 one star. With the play (and the fun extras), it has worked it's way up to two stars (out of Netflix' 5). If you're into self-destructive humor, don't like Tuscon or like to talk over bad movies, this is for you. Everyone else should either run for the hills or only catch the last half hour.

Comments

Song title

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I am flatly appalled that a song called "Raped In the Face" exists, especially in what looks like a comic movie (or something intended to be a comic movie). I would be very supportive of anything that looks like raising of public consciousness (noting that this title refers to something that can and does happen, and is traumatic as all hell for those to whom it happens) but this kind of sick joke simply is not public entertainment. I wasn't going to see the movie anyway, but at this point, I am doing a bona fide protest.

Nate

Re: Song title

[barondave.livejournal.com]

The song is about the trauma of it happening to you, and the humor derives from the horrified reaction of the audience (apparently real, according to the commentary). Much like Springtime for Hitler.

Re: Song title

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

No, that isn't even remotely humorous. I am appalled. I am outraged. If this song exists (and even that is appalling) the horrified reaction of the audience in the movie is completely understandable, and there is no way I or any reasonable person would find this amusing. I don't believe in banning movies any more than I believe in banning books, but I am very close to making a picket sign and going to a theater where this is playing. (Did you see this in a theater or did you rent it? Yes, it matters.)

Nate

Re: Song title

[barondave.livejournal.com]

It's a 2008 movie that I rented from Netflix. Apparently, I'd liked similar movies so it popped up in my recommendations. I added it to the queue a long time ago and it popped up around Minicon.

I fully understand your position, though I tend to err on the side of free speech, but I don't think you have much to worry about. It's not in any reputable theaters, and it's in no danger of becoming a cult classic. It's just a bad movie that sunk into DVD release almost instantaneously. Some people liked it (Roger Ebert gave it four stars out of five). The song works in the context of the plot, forcing some of the characters to come to grips with their past, but it's not representative of the movie and goes by quick to get to "Rock Me Sexy Jesus".

Avoidance will probably hurt the movie more than picketing.