Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Most sequels to successful films are scrutinized to the Nth degree. "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" is one such example, and was lambasted upon its arrival to theaters this past winter. The criticism, while slightly unfair, gets justified in a Blu-ray release where laughter doesn't come often and the comedic actors try way too hard.

Dubbed the "Hotter and Wetter Unrated Cut," the Blu-ray of "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" follows up with those crazy friends five years after they went back in time to the 1980s. This time around, Lou (Rob Corddry) gets blown away by a murderer at his annual party, where he's also invited friends (among them, Craig Robinson) and his long-suffering son (Clark Duke).

Adam Scott joins the fun this time around, where, shockingly enough, most of the supposed humor revolves around penis jokes and male egos. The inevitable straight male/gay panic scene lingers way too long. This viewer also loves Rob Corddry, but not while he embarrassingly tries to bottom for Robinson on a mock reality game show.

John Cusak gets relegated to photographs and a brief flashback scene in this sequel, where he's sorely missed; his character was the catalyst for most of the action in the original.

If the film isn't a winner, the complete opposite is true for the Blu-ray special features; there's an inundation of them. Over an hour worth of bonus supplements include blooper reels, numerous behind-the scenes, audio commentaries, and "From the Hot Tub" featurettes... these feature sarcastic predictions about how the future will look in ten years. A separate DVD of the theatrical version gets included, running 10 minutes shorter than the unrated Blu-ray edition.

"Hot Tub Time Machine 2"
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
$39.99
www.paramount.com