Cheaper By The Dozen 2 (2005/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Film: D
The
original Cheaper By The Dozen was
not all that great and the remake was only so watchable, but Fox decided to do
a sequel to it because it was a big enough hit and the resulting Cheaper By The Dozen 2 (2005) could
have been worse, but it is still an unmemorable bore. You can read more the remake for those
unfamiliar at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/975/Cheaper+By+The+Dozen+(2003)
The
sequel is the marriage story and after Martin along with two Father Of The
Brides, is just commercial overkill.
Director Adam Shankman (who fared much better later with the musical
Hairspray) counts on the star power of a cast that also includes Bonnie Hunt,
Eugene Levy, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, Hilary Duff, Taylor Lautner and a
subdued Carmen Elektra to deliver. Too
bad it does not. This is for fans only
and is at best, safe and comfortable for its obvious, intended audience. Do not expect many laughs, though.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 AVC @ 25 MBPS digital high definition image was shot on 35mm film and
is softer on here than expected, not looking as good as the 35mm print I saw
five years ago. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is also an underwhelming, dialogue-based mix that does
not deliver
more than adequate soundfield at best. Extras
include trailers, Shankman feature length audio commentary, making of featurette
and a Casing Session installment on the film from the Fox Movie
Channel.
- Nicholas Sheffo
