More American Graffiti (1979) - June 12, 2018

[Akijama]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CZ...ords=universal

[Q-Tip]

I actually never saw this film... always loved the original though. Been meaning to view it. Might just pick this up.

[Aclea]

I was one of the few who saw this on the big screen (The Nude Bomb was the supporting feature). It's not great, but it is interesting:



Like The Next Sting, Texasville, The Evening Star, Oliver's Story, The Two Jakes and Evan Almighty, More American Graffiti is one of those sequels to big hits that most people not only didn't want but don't know even exists: certainly George Lucas seems happy to pretend it doesn't (it's conspicuous by its complete absence in the otherwise comprehensive 78-minute documentary on the DVD for the original film), a fate not even Howard the Duck or The Radioland Murders share among his oeuvre. No Richard Dreyfuss, and Ron Howard is little more than a cameo but the rest of the original cast are all present and correct - even an unbilled Harrison Ford turns up as a traffic cop - while Scott Glenn, Delroy Lindo and Rosanna Arquette provide the "they were around that long?" factor in the supporting cast. Yet the result is even more of a mixed bag than the original, with writer-director Bill L. Norton separating his main characters over four different New Year's Eves with wildly varying results: Paul Le Mat has now graduated to drag racing, perhaps the least cinematic sport ever invented, Cindy Williams and Ron Howard get mixed up in student riots, Candy Clark's hippie chick finally gets the message about her loser guitarist boyfriend while, in by far the best part of the film, Charles Martin Smith's Terry the Toad is doing everything he possibly can to get out of Vietnam. Shot in multiple aspect ratios from 1.33:1 to 2.35:1 and with some imaginative and often amusing split-screen work, the execution is often better than the material and it's more entertaining than you might expect, but there's little of the resonance of the original.

[Frightener22]

As a huge fan of the original, I still can't believe I've let this sequel evade me for so many years. Thrilled to finally check it out on Blu-ray!

[BluBonnet]

This has been available as an import for quite some time.

[BluConniseur]

The sequel has its moments, but could have been executed more better.

[GuruAskew]

Is that it for this most recent MOD wave? Three titles?

[charlieray1]

I actually like it quite a bit. It's not the classic that the original is, but it's a very enjoyable sequel. It's also cleverly done, since the end of the original tells us what happens to everyone, and it all happens in different years. This was a clever way to have everyone in the entire movie. It captures the 60's well, and the stories all fit the various characters. I'd give it a solid B+ or A-

The only real letdown for me is Richard Dreyfuss not returning.

[GuruAskew]

I believe the dates at the end of the first film were changed for the theatrical re-release to match the events of the sequel. The first example of Lucas being Lucas as far as I know. I think he made other editorial changes to the film itself too.

[moviebuff75]

The dvd was awful. It had weird white pulsing.

[BluProofie]

Add this to the list of sequels I didn’t know existed until recently, like The Two Jakes and the TV sequel to Rosemary’s Baby.

[nikita70]

It wasn’t as good as the original but I enjoyed it. My Blu-ray of the first was a two disc case so I stuck my DVD of the sequel in with the original.

[GeoffOliver]

I adore the original American Graffiti, and have fond memories watching it late at night with my dad (it’s like his favorite film), but I really did not like this film. I understand what it was trying to do, but I think it takes away some of the impact of the original. I’m glad it tried something different from the original, but it just didn’t work. At best, I treat it like a curiosity.

[Nailwraps]

Let's just hope this one doesn't get the ol' Lucas treatment.

[rupert-pupkin]

I don't have any of the recent Universal catalog blu-ray releases, such as "Fletch Lives" ect., but something tells me this release will be just like those, meaning: not very good.

But, I do like to be proven wrong.

[NShep53]

Underrated sequel to a perfect movie. I give more 8/10

[DMRI2006]

This has already been released by Universal in many international markets, region free, years ago. In fact that release can still be found for less than what this MOD version goes for if you hunt around. Unless this has a newer transfer (probably will be the same one) there's no benefit to wait.

[Mose Harper]

I have the UK Bd. For the price, and if you are a fan of the film or curious, it's worth importing. It also has the original Bill Stout key art, which I'm sure we won't get with the domestic release.

FWIW, I actually like this better than the original in a lot of ways. I find the individual segments, and how they are temporally juxtaposed, to make for some affecting moments.

It may not be a great film, but it feels to me like they put effort into and were not just slapping together a lazy cash-in.

[tallrichard]

This is the type of sequel where after watching this, you will want to know how you can get your two wasted hours back...

Answer is....you can't!

[spawningblue]

Why is everyone assuming this is an MOD title? Wasn’t that the assumption with Fletch Lives and it turned out to be a pressed Blu-ray. Has Universal ever releases a BD-R Blu-ray?