Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (Blu-ray Review)
Great comedy sequels or even good comedy sequels are rare to come by. So many risks are taken when it comes to both recapturing a certain magic and taking a premise to a new level. 2014’s Neighbors is not exactly a film that lends itself to a sequel, but it was a hit and the powers that be asked for it. Fortunately, director Nicholas Stoller, the writers and star/producer Seth Rogen have put together Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, a comedy sequel that outdoes the original. It’s leaner, funnier and incredibly clever in tackling relevant social issues. Now the film is on Blu-ray for all to enjoy.
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Film: 
For the record, I found the original Neighbors to be something of a surprise. I expected to laugh, as I generally enjoy the comedy output of Rogen and his producer/writing partner Evan Goldberg, but I was happy to find that it was about something. The film took the idea of a rivalry and injected the themes of responsibility and becoming an adult. In the midst of comedic chaos, we had a couple dealing what it means to become parents and move away from a more free-spirited lifestyle. It also featured Zac Efron shedding his pretty boy image and didn’t simply place Rose Byrne on the sidelines as a typical movie wife.
Neighbors 2 returns all of those elements and adds on social justice for women. The film attacks the double-standards generally seen in comedies when it comes to what has been determined okay for dudes to laugh at while women sit by and maybe enjoy some but not all. It mocks the idea of exploitation, namely by having an extended sequence involving shirtless Efron and Rogen (with painted on abs). All of this and we still get an exceedingly funny feature that manages to trim the fat some may have found in the first film.
We have three stories here. One involves Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) dealing with an upcoming second child and what they need to do to sell their current home, before moving into a new one. The second involves three female college freshman (Chloe Grace Moretz, Kiersey Clemons and Beanie Feldstein) starting their own sorority in an attempt to get away from the sexist masculinity that plagues college life/frat parties. Finally, Efron’s Teddy is in search of a purpose in life and realizes how poor his actions towards women were, during college, leading him into mentoring the new sorority. These three forces clash in an epic battle of two neighboring houses.
While I have been happy to dig into what this movie is thematically about and why that makes this an ambitious improvement over the first film, it is still a comedy from Rogen and Goldberg in the vein of their other films. If their sense of humor does not work for you, there may not be much here to sway you in terms of the jokes and comedic set pieces that go down. It may play fair in giving all members of the cast a chance to really goof around, rather than letting the boys have all the fun, but the comedy is still subjective. That in mind, I can completely respect a comedy that appears to be coming from the minds of people who can make real life experiences into a cinematic treat.
The direction is fast-paced and erratic, which may cause some to overlook the strong performances on display, but I did find this to be a well-made film as far as seeing filmmakers and actors collaborate quite successfully. I mentioned comedic set pieces and you really do get some key scenes that build a level of tension that is released thanks to laughs rather than scares. It works well and comes from director Stoller doing more than just letting the camera linger while the actors riff with each other.
Rogen, in particular, deserves a lot of credit. Some are of the mind that he does the same thing over and over (which is not completely true), but to his credit here, he happily allows many of the other cast members to have the very best moments. Efron and Bryne continue to be in top comedic form, mixing both physical and dialogue-based humor well. Moretz does a fine job of successfully leading her band of misfits. Then you have fine support from Ike Barinholtz and a bunch of other familiar faces, including my favorite comedic cameo from this past summer in a key scene full of humor and pathos.
Given how widely known the airbag gag was in the first film, I am honestly staying away from highlighting any key jokes, but suffice it to say, Neighbors 2 is a true success. It continues to take a look at adult life and put it within the framework of a broad comedy. That the film is able to attach even more relevant issues, while improving on the first, only provides stronger footing, as it stands tall with the few other comedy sequels that actually worked. Not bad at all for a sequel that initially stood on shaky ground. I can only hope this momentum continues if there is really a need to build this silly series into a trilogy.
Video:
Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Clarity/Detail: Neighbors 2 arrives on Blu-ray with a pretty solid video transfer. The film was shot digitally and utilizes cleverer camera setups than normally seen in these kinds of comedies. It comes from Brandon Trost’s cinematography, which lends itself to plenty of wild sequences that all allow for an audience to see a good amount of detail. The film is a mix of locations and sets, but you get plenty to enjoy as far as enjoying the visual stamp of Neighbors 2.
Depth: Characters emerge in the varying depths of field effectively enough.
Black Levels: Black levels are mostly fine, given the many indoor party sequences and nighttime setups.
Color Reproduction: Colors are pretty solid, with an occasional level of pop when the lighting is just right against the costumes specifically.
Flesh Tones: Facial textures actually register very well. You get a good amount of detail when looking at the characters up close.
Noise/Artifacts: Nothing.
Audio: 
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DVS 2.0; Spanish, French DTS Digital Surround 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Dynamics: This solid lossless audio track does a fine job presenting the film. It’s a lot of joke-heavy dialogue with occasional bursts of energy through other means. You are also treated to lots of good music choices throughout, which allow the film to press into how far it can push its audio track.
Low Frequency Extension: The LFE Channel gets plenty to work with thanks to the nature of this film. The tailgate sequence, in particular, does plenty to play on your subwoofer.
Surround Sound Presentation: While the dialogue is clearly focused in the center, the various channels get enough to deal with throughout the film. It’s a fine balance.
Dialogue Reproduction: Everyone sounds loud and clear.
Extras:
The features for Neighbors 2 actually outdoes the first Blu-ray as well. Adding a commentary track this time around was very welcome, in addition to the standard gag reels, deleted scenes and other minor featurettes.
Features Include:
- Feature Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Nicholas Stoller and Producer James Weaver – A solid track that is light enough to enjoy, but full of facts about the process behind making a strong comedy sequel, the reshoots that took place and more.
- Deleted Scenes (HD, 24:14) – A lot of excised material that is at times quite funny, but would drag down a film that moves at a very quick pace.
- Gag Reel (HD, 4:24)
- Line-O-Rama (HD, 4:48) – Plenty of alternate lines that highlight the cast’s improve skills.
- Nu Neighbors (HD, 8:09) – A look at the process involved with developing a sequel, adding on new ideas and more.
- The Prodigal Bros Return (HD, 5:01) – A feature highlighting some of the film’s male characters.
- Girls Rule (HD, 6:14) – This feature highlights the key female characters in the film.
- The Ultimate Tailgate (HD, 5:09) – A look at the making of one of the film’s key scenes.
- Previews (HD)
- DVD Copy of the Film
- Digital HD Copy of the Film
Summary:
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is better than the original and worth seeking out for those into this brand of comedy. That was surprising to find out in theaters and fun to revisit at home. The Blu-ray is strong as well. Featuring a solid video and audio transfer and a collection of extras that also outshines the first film, you get a lot to enjoy in addition to just the film itself. If you missed this film the first time around, there is enough here to make it worthy of checking out.
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