Pink Panther 2 (Blu-ray) By David Vaughn   •   July, 2009 The bumbling Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) is called when treasures around the world begin to mysteriously disappear, including the priceless Pink Panther diamond. With a dream team of international detectives at his side, Clouseau must apprehend the master thief known as the Tornado.

As if one remake wasn't enough, here comes a second Pink Panther film that questions the intelligence of the audience, but more importantly, questions the studio's decision to green-light this garbage. The writing is uninspired, and the supposedly funny slapstick is anything but. Not even the all-star cast, which includes John Cleese, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno, and one of the funniest men of our time, Steve Martin, can make lemonade out of this lemon.

The movie may be trash, but the AVC video encode is fantastic. The detail is razor-sharp in both foregrounds and backgrounds, the contrast is stable with deep and inky blacks, and the colorful palette leaps off the screen. The various locales look outstanding in HD as the team of inspectors jaunts around the world.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is surprisingly immersive given the comedic roots of the production—such films tend to be more front-loaded. Dialog is crystal clear, which isn't necessarily a good thing given the piss-poor accents, but the superior ambience is where the track really shines. The surround speakers are alive with detail and discrete effects, and even more important, Henry Mancini's wonderful music sounds phenomenal.

This three-disc set contains the usual assortment of bonus features on the main disc—a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes (HD), a gag reel, and an interactive game. The second disc has a digital copy for portable players, but the best disc of all is a DVD with 27 classic Pink Panther cartoons—too bad they aren't in HD!

Other than the stellar video presentation and surprisingly good audio, there isn't much reason to waste your money on this title. Sure, there are occasional funny scenes, but the overall entertainment value is pretty minimal, and the slapstick nature of the production will try your patience. Be that as it may, my two kids thought it was a hoot. Caveat emptor.

Release Date:June 23, 2009
Studio: MGM/Fox

Movie: 3/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics