Diagonaldi
Very well executed
Robert Joyner
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
BA_Harrison
Writer/director Jim Abrahams spoofs Rambo (as well as Terminator 2, Basic Instinct, Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz), with Charlie Sheen returning as heroic Topper Harley, who leads a team of soldiers to Iraq on a mission to rescue hostages taken during Desert Storm (and to free the men who were sent to rescue the men who were sent to rescue the hostages).It's funny how your tastes change over the years: back in 1993, I thought that Hot Shots Part Deux was unrelentingly hilarious; this time around, the film had me giggling a few times, but the majority of the jokes seemed incredibly lame and puerile. I guess I'm more sophisticated than I give myself credit for.Sheen is passable as a comic actor, Valeria Golino is ravishing as love interest Ramada, and Richard Crenna mercilessly mocks his Col. Trautman role in the Rambo movies. But it's 'Tug' Benson, the incompetent President of the USA, who made me chuckle the most. Surely no-one that inept and boorish could possibly be elected to the post of Commander in Chief (looks at today's news and rolls his eyes).
OllieSuave-007
This is a sequel to Hot Shots! from Jim Abrahams, spoofing Rambo in which Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) leads a rescue team into Iraq to save Iraqi war prisoners and soldiers that were part of previous rescue teams.It's non-stop gags from start to finish, from the Rambo parodies to harmless sexual humor, and from funny Commando-like action scenes to the spoof on Saddam Hussein. The acting was great, each character delivering nonchalant funny performances that made the story engaging. Like the previous film, I especially liked Lloyd Bridge's clueless and comedic performance as the incompetent President Benson.While good, I thought this film lacked a little bit of energy and laugh-out-loud comedy that were found in the original movie. The film's plot was also a little slower, but nonetheless, it's still a good comedy that is great for family entertainment! Grade B
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
Saddam(Haleva, looking the part) has taken hostages taken by a foreign dictator, and several failed rescue attempts, the US is running out of specialists to send in. Topper(Sheen, doing a good Rambo) is tracked down, but he's heartbroken over the loss of Ramada(Golino, sultry as ever). Maybe something will motivate him... like Crenna playing the same role he did in the First Blood series.With the new military-themed blockbuster ripe for parodying chosen(one with a grander scope, as it should be), a cast of new and old faces alike all game, this sequel does a lot to live up to its predecessor. Like the franchises of Naked Gun and Airplane!, this works in part because so much of it is played straight. One element in a scene or bit will be off, but usually only that, so that it contrasts against the "real" backdrop.The pop culture references, gags and jokes are plentiful, with a gradual rise towards the climax. We get to breathe, and it doesn't rush so that anything really goes completely unnoticed. Rarely does something fall flat. The material is both visual and verbal, with cleverness, silly stuff, plays on words, etc. Roles are well-cast, and no one is really given too much or little screen-time or laughs.This is Abrahams before these got excessive - in spite of the "drop in/out" nature of the hilarious antics, they never feel disjointed, and there is a clear whole... one with a defined plot, I might add, another thing some more recent entries in the genre have gotten wrong. FX and stunts look and feel real, thus successfully convincing us that we really *are* watching a big-budget action flick - just one where a lot "goes wrong", strange things are said and done, etc.There is a lot of violence, some sexuality(both comically over the top) and a little strong language in this. I recommend this to any fan of send-ups. 7/10
Scott LeBrun
"Hot Shots! Part Deux" beats the odds to be pretty good, not just as spoofs go, but as spoof *sequels* go. Granted, it's not always very funny, but enough of the verbal and visual jokes work to make this solidly entertaining comedy fare, and a worthy sequel to the hilarious first movie. It goes about making fun of the corpse littered action escapism films of the 1980s, which of course were a genre just ripe for parody. Charlie Sheen returns as hero Topper Harley, now living in Thailand after getting his heart broken by Ramada (Valeria Golino). He's approached by the CIA to undertake a top secret mission in the Middle East where he must rescue the rescue team who went in to save the rescue team who tried to retrieve some hostages.Also returning from the first film are Lloyd Bridges, who once again is an absolute riot; somehow, his idiotic character Thomas "Tug" Benson has become the President of the United States. Jerry Haleva makes an encore appearance as Saddam Hussein, and gets more to do this time, including a climactic duel with Benson. New characters include those played by lovely Brenda Bakke, Richard Crenna (who gets to poke fun at his own "Rambo" series role), Miguel Ferrer, Rowan Atkinson, Mitch Ryan, Ryan Stiles, Gregory Sierra, Andreas Katsulas, and Clyde Kusatsu. So there's a lot of familiar faces here, including some other famous faces in gag cameos. (The best one is by Sheen's dad Martin.) One of the brightest jokes is the "bloodiest movie ever" one; among the movies and shows parodied are "Basic Instinct", "No Way Out", "Lady and the Tramp", "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", and Bridges' own series 'Sea Hunt', but mostly co-writer and director Jim Abrahams, an old hand at this sort of thing, keeps his focus on skewering the mindless macho action flick.Overall, this is a very enjoyable comedy, no matter if some of the humour is dated (such as referring to then first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton). It manages to hold up pretty well on repeat viewings.And war is indeed fantastic.Eight out of 10.