Why?
The only thought that my head could constantly conjure up
while watching “Super Troopers 2” was the simple question of why? Not out of
anger, disgust, or irritation but merely befuddlement.
Assuming that the original “Super Troopers” was some sort of
massive success, which it wasn’t, and had some sort of overwhelming demand by
audiences for continuation, of which there appears to be very little, this is a
sequel removed from the official release date of its original film by nearly
two decades. That’s a substantial disconnect for the continuation of a film
about the hijinks Vermont state troopers patrolling the American/Canadian
border that probably would have been better suited to independent web video
skits had it come out today, but I digress.
Comedy Troupe Broken Lizard unites to bring back the titular
troopers as authority over a town at the border being annexed by the American
government after a misunderstanding in mapping the territory, thus bringing
them into conflict with the Canadian locals and Mounties who don’t take kindly
to falling under the jurisdiction of a post 2016 America.
What “Super Troopers 2” lacks in any form of positive expectations
is slightly exacerbated by how overly topical the film makes itself in relation
to perceptions of the USA and immigration politics.
Once in a while something amusing about these themes will
land in a chuckle worthy manner only to get drowned out by same repetitive jabs
at the cesspool of modern politics and Canadian stereotypes. Even the best of
Broken Lizard’s work was never particularly high brow but some of the fallbacks
on this one can become almost uncomfortably lazy in the ways so many jokes
awkwardly misfire.
It’s a bit of a shame that more cleverness wasn’t put into
the movie’s presentation regarding visual aesthetics, editing technique, or
even the core plot, because what does hold “Super Troopers 2” back from being
an outright bad film is that it does have a substantial bit amount of humor
that actually lands.
The cast brings their earnest A-game to the table and
despite plenty of room for improvisation, a lot of the best gags land in
deliveries that feel organic and successfully maintain the appropriate level of
energy until the next successful gag. This fortunate level of pleasant momentum
goes a long way towards salvaging a sequel marred by a cynical outlook of its
own branding.
Although the jokes never quite reach laugh out loud levels,
they stay consistently worthy of solid chuckles and keep a decent enough pace
for the cast’s rather effective chemistry to carry over and keep the rest of
the film afloat.
If you were ultimately awaiting a sequel to “Super Troopers”
with bated breath, I don’t know if I can say you’ll be disappointed in what is
essentially a second helping of more of the same. The comedic chops of its crew
definitely make it a the best follow up to a dated 17 year old indie movie that
it could possibly be.
If you haven’t thought of “Super Troopers” in over a decade
like almost everybody else, you’re probably wondering why this thing got
theatrical distribution, even if the underwhelming product to come from it is
fairly inoffensive and harmless.
5 Mediocre Cat Games out of 10
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