Why So Blu?

Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses (Blu-ray Review)

Danny Trejo (Machete) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) deliver twice the Bad Ass action in this hard-hitting, butt-kicking sequel to the original cult favorite! Vietnam vet Frank Vega (Trejo) now runs an East L.A. community center where he trains young boxers to survive in and out of the ring. But when his prize student falls in with the wrong crowd and turns up dead, Frank teams up with his pal Bernie (Glover) to take matters into their own fists and prove that justice never gets old.

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Film 

Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) is back and he’s kicking ass and taking names…and necessarily in that order. Frank is now a mentor to the East L.A. community where he runs a gym and teaches the youth of the area how to box. When one of these students ends up dead due to a drug deal gone bad it will be up to Frankie to dispense justice “bad ass” style. Bernie (Danny Glover), who owns a small grocery store that’s actually connected to Trejo’s gym, comes along for the ride. The two don’t necessarily get along as they talk crap to each other on a daily basis. Bernie also has problems of his own which include being an agoraphobic – a fear of open spaces and surroundings.

With their elder(ly) powers combined they will take on the gangs and drug pushers and make the wrong things right again. You know, I never did get around to watching he first Bad Ass film but watching Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses was a pretty neat introduction to the Frank Vega universe. For those keeping track, the Frank Vega character was inspired by the infamous bus fight video that went viral by a certain elderly gentleman who would not go down without a fight. I will most likely have to watch the first film just to see what bits of character nuances I missed in between films.

Some of the supporting characters in Bad Ass 2 are written a bit thin but it’s probably done on purpose since they are supporting characters. I was also initially hesitant to give Bad Ass 2 a chance, because it was written and directed by Craig Moss who directed those awful parody film flicks like Breaking Wind and 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity with the Devil Inside the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My expectations were definitely tapered but I was surprised that Bad Ass 2 was not awful. Moss also wrote and directed the first film and is working on the third film to finish of the Frank Vega trilogy.

Another cool tidbit is that it was really good to see character actor Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster) as the Kingpin and our main villain. His presence lent a sort of gravitas on the proceedings. Now as far as the rating and film goes – it’s more of a lukewarm rating in that it’s not an unwatchable film but it’s also not a good one either. This doesn’t mean that it’s not entertaining, because it’s VERY entertaining. The chemistry between Frank Bernie is hilarious and they do play off of each other really. Yes, there are plenty of elder jabs here and there but I also liked the way the filmmakers inserted some Kick Ass nuances into the Bad Ass universe. It also plays a bit like a grind house film, so it’s got that going for it, too.

It was good to see Danny Trejo and Danny Glover in a film together and they’re great together and not so much when they’re not. Bad Ass 2 is a nice little action romp with some cool butt kicking scenes that will leave you satisfied. I will now have some time to visit the first film while prepping for the third film, which is rumored for early 2015. We’ll see how it goes.

 

Video 

Encoding: AVC MPEG-4

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Clarity/Detail: Bad Ass 2 may have been shot on a low budget but you wouldn’t know that by looking at the film in high definition. Sharpness and contrast levels are exquisite. I did not notice any artificial tinkering with regards to those levels.

Depth: This is obviously NOT a 3-D film but the depth is epic nonetheless. For a very simple film it just pulls you into the action.

Black Levels: Certain scenes take place in DTLA and at night but all look great and never crush.

Color Reproduction: Color levels are awesome all around and I did not notice any intrusive banding or pixilation. Bernie’s windbreaker outfit is very bold!

Flesh Tones: The entire cast had a “glow” to them. Not one member looked pasty, sick, or ghastly.

Noise/Artifacts: The Blu-ray is relatively noise and artifacts free but I did see a few inconsistencies and those were during the scenes of questionable CGI.

Audio 

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: Bad Ass 2 is a very action packed film that fires on all cylinders when it comes to brutal hits and all. The soundstage on this lossless soundtrack does the film justice. It’s not reference material but it’s no dud.

Low Frequency Extension: The LFE channel does some heavy lifting during scenes of carnage and explosions. No complaints on that front.

Surround Sound Presentation: Again, with the amount of gunfire in the film the surround sound channels have plenty to chew and do a good job of reproducing the chaos as bullets whiz by your head.

Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue levels were consistent and you could always hear what was being said during scenes of destruction and during scenes of quiet introspection.

 

Extras 

Bad Ass 2 contains just one special feature and it’s a short featurette with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. The pickings are slim.

• Making Of (HD, 10:00) – Short featurette with cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Everyone seemed to have a good time making the film.

 

Summary 

Having not seen the first Bad Ass film I really didn’t know what to expect with part 2 but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not a great film by any means but its heart is in the right place. As of this writing they’re already working on Bad Ass 3, so we will see Frank and Bernie again in the final installment next year. Bad Ass 2 on Blu-ray has above average technical specs but below average supplements. Give it a shot.

 

 

Order Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses on Blu-ray!