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Ride Along 2 Blu-ray Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

Remember that young guy who belted out "F*ck the Police" 28 years ago? He's playing a cop -- again. The whole thing seemed ironic and sort of hilarious when Ice Cube was given a badge, a gun, and sidekick Kevin Hart in 2014's Ride Along. Now? Not so much.

However, when movies make a ton of money, a sequel always follows, whether it's needed or wanted. I could see why audiences would want to see these two team up again. They are likeable and definitely have chemistry. Unfortunately, the writers of Ride Along 2 seemed to be the only ones not that into it.

The film finds tough cop James (Cube) desperately trying to avoid Ben (Hart), his spazzy brother-in-law-to-be. Then James  seems to have a change of heart and offers to take Ben out on a big case. Of course, it's only because he wants to show his sister (Tika Sumpter) and everyone else what a major failure Ben really is. Sound familiar?

RideAlong2-still.jpg
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube team up again for “Ride Along 2.” Photo: Quantrell D. Colbert - © Universal Pictures.

Ride Along 2 is pretty much a carbon copy of the original film, except this one has Ken Jeong. He's doing his usual Ken Jeong shtick, which may be completely annoying, depending on who you ask. It also has Benjamin Bratt playing a crime boss and Olivia Munn as a detective/love interest.

It sounds fun -- and in some parts, it actually is. Thank goodness for car chases! However, Ride Along 2 isn't the movie that it should be or could be. There's no originality and most of the jokes fall flat. Cube and Hart do their best, but the movie could have been so much better, if these two had the right material. This movie is not even close to that.

Looking to take another ride with this movie? Strap yourself in for Tom Fugalli's theatrical review of Ride Along 2.

The Picture

As you'd expect, Ride Along 2 has a sharp, clean 2.40:1 image that's filled with all sorts of awesome eye candy. First of all, every second of this film is very detailed. From facial lines, pores, freckles, and facial hair to texture on clothing, cars, and the surrounding Miami scenery; it all looks fantastic. Speaking of which, the color palette used to display that scenery and pretty much everything else in this movie is also really impressive. Every scene is bursting with gorgeous imagery, which includes those same cars, the skintones, the clothing, and the explosions. The Grand Theft Auto-inspired imagery is especially cool looking as well. It's hard to find one fault here.

The Sound

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a perfect match for this movie, with tons of action for the surrounds. Music also plays a major role, with Pitbull, Iggy Azalea, Flo Rida, KRS-One, Miami Sound Machine, and much more blasting throughout the film. Despite all of that music, the soundtrack doesn't drown out any of the dialogue. More importantly, it doesn't drown out any of the car chases, foot chases, explosions, and gunshots. There are plenty of those, which makes for a really nice, immersive audio experience.

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The Extras

Sadly, there's no Ice Cube/Kevin Hart commentary track included with this Blu-ray. Instead, director Tom Story rides alone for that one. That said, there are plenty of extras that highlight the chemistry between the film's two leads. The duo stays in character for "Ride Along With Us," a short that also has its own behind-the-scenes featurette. The relationship between the two is also given a separate spotlight in "Kevin & Cube: Brothers-in-Law." Cube and Hart also sit down with Story and producer Will Packer for a 16-minute roundtable about making the film. If you're looking for additional tidbits, "The Ride Diaries" breaks down the entire production in seven parts. Hart does get almost seven minutes to himself as well. Otherwise, there are several shorts highlighting specific parts of the film and some of the supporting cast, as well as a Gag Reel and six deleted scenes.

Final Thoughts

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart seem like the perfect pair -- just not in this movie. Ride Along 2 is basically a retread of the last film (and possibly a few others). That wouldn't be such a bad thing, if the film was actually funny. It does have great audio and video, as well as a fun crop of extras. That said, Ride Along 2 is about as entertaining as a flat tire.

Product Details

  • Actors: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Ken Jeong, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Bruce McGill, Tika Sumpter
  • Director: Tim Story
  • Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (French, Spanish), DVS 2.0 (English)
  • Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Studio: Universal
  • Blu-ray Disc Release Date: April 26, 2016
  • Run Time: 102 minutes
  • List Price: $34.98
  • Extras:
    • Feature Commentary with Director Tim Story
    • Deleted Scenes
    • Ride Along With Us
    • Gag Reel
    • Behind the Scenes of Ride Along With Us
    • The Ride Along Roundtable
    • The Ride Diaries
    • Kevin & Cube: Brothers-in-Law
    • The New Recruits
    • Inside Black Hammer Vision
    • Ride Along With Kevin Hart
    • Cori's Wedding Commercial
    • BD-Live
    • Standard-Def DVD
    • Digital Copy
    • UltraViolet Digital Copy

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