Kindergarten Cop 2

Of all the movies to make a sequel to, why Kindergarten cop? 26yrs after the original, to make a senseless sequel seems mindless especially if it'll have absolutely no connection to the original.

So once again an officer of the law finds himself posing as a teacher and bites off more than he can chrew all in an effort to get to the bottom of a case he's working on.

Essentially this could easily be considered a reboot, it's highly similiar to the original movie and again has NO connection to the Arnie 1990 original.

Sadly 26yrs later a lot has changed and moving with the times hasn't suited Kindergarten Cop 2 in the slightest. The original still had that late 80's goofiness about it, one of those films you could sit down with your kids and watch and they'd both enjoy it and not be subject to anything they shouldn't.

This sequel however is more modern, lacks that goofiness and in my opinion isn't family friendly. I'm not saying it's violent or sex filled, I'm simply saying it's not aimed at the tykes and they will neither enjoy nor understand much of it.

Take away from the fact it simply shouldn't exist and you have a film which is a lot better than you imagine, but still not very good.

The Good:

Aleks Paunovic

Harmless enough fun

The Bad:

Stock scream

Not as family friendly as the first

Paint by numbers stuff

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The FBI won't react to the code word to begin a raid until a person explains that it was a code word

Candy vending machines are bullet proof due to frustrated police officers shooting them

Being a decent person is "Liberal BS"

This movie actually managed to make living in a trailer appealing

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Morning *** Friday Night ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

When a teacher is killed after stumbling upon sensitive information, FBI Agent Reed (Dolph Lundgren) is assigned to go undercover in a liberal, PC modern kindergarten, where his 'no pain no gain' philosophy makes him a far from ideal candidate for the role. Gradually, he forms a bond with the kids and pretty young teacher Olivia (Darla Taylor) and liaises with his partner Sanders (Bill Bellamy), but all the while, Zogu (Aleks Paunovic), the villainous Russian mobster behind the murder, lurks about.

It's never too late to make a sequel these days, even to a more modern audience who may not even have heard of the original. Or even if it happens to be some bizarrely low budget, straight to DVD Dolph Lundgren vehicle. This is a weird, unexplainable piece of work at best, but maybe most so for Dolph. Things were looking on the up for him recently, with the well received Skin Trade signalling a return to the sort of slam bang, unpretentious entertainment he was known for. You're left to wonder what his motives for making this were: trying to show a lighter, fuzzier side to his repertoire, even if it's all little heard of, straight to DVD fodder?

The original was one of two films Arnold Schwarzenegger made to try and show a lighter version of himself, and it's been confirmed he's appearing in a sequel himself to the other one of those films, so you're left to wonder if he thought the follow up to this had lesser box office potential. Even so, many will feel he brought something to the original role that couldn't be recreated by anyone else, and it's true Dolph doesn't feel at home as much here, lacking Arnie's madcap spirit in the first film. He's joined by Paunovic's typical Russian villain, Bellamy's stereotypical black partner and Taylor as a worryingly younger love interest.

This is just an all round beguiling project. How did it come up? Who thought it would be a good idea? What was anyone trying to achieve with it? Why did it get made? *

What to expect from a sequel like this? I think it reached the highest goal it could. It's a paycheck for all involved. Dolph can have some fun (the kids too of course), if you lower your expectations to very very low, you may be able to enjoy this to a degree too. It is what it is and even if some had a lot of fun with the original (which was filmed/released a long time ago), I doubt many were yearning for a sequel.

But that's how things work and if a title sounds familiar, investors are there and some people will watch it (guilty as charged, but I do watch almost anything as you can tell by my list of reviews ;o) ). So while I've seen worse (obviously), this is by the numbers ... You do the math (yes pun intended)

Should there be a time limit for releasing a sequel? The original movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger came out in 1990, that's a quarter of a century ago, and now we have a sequel that doesn't even have Arnie it. What is the bloody point?

I'm not sure who the intended audience Kindergarten Cop 2 is, certainly not fans of the original, so my guess it's for little kids who like pee jokes and line dancing. Wait, do kids like line dancing? So if you want to see Dolph Lundgren get peed on, wear a cowboy hat and make out with someone a quarter of his age then this could be the film for you. If you are looking for an actual comedy check to see if the original one is on Netflix.

Note: The film even has the cliché angry boss who yells at our hero even though that stereotype had already been lampooned in The Last Action Hero back in 1993.

The first Kindergarten Cop film was what we would call today a classic. It had a great story line, which plot was certainly a true reflection on what the characters showed would be what some of us would experience in real life. It was funny and had the appropriate amount of drama and serious scenes that put you on the edge of your seat. Everyone in this film (Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Tyson, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Carroll Baker) did a phenomenal job, as well as the kids!

This sequel, unfortunately, is a joke. I tried finishing it, but I just couldn't because it was too painful. It was a serious poor attempt to entertain the audience. It lacked almost everything the first film delivered. The only thing that kept this movie from being rated a 1 out of 10 was the kids; that. was. it!

Also... how does the sequel get special features (iTunes Extras) on iTunes but the original doesn't??