DVD Corner

A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas Blu-ray Review

“A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas” is a delightfully strange sequel.

At the start of “A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas,” we see that Kumar and Harold are not as close as they once were. Kumar has been dumped by his girlfriend and seems completely unmotivated to carve a career for himself while Harold is doing well on Wall Street and is married to Maria. Harold and Kumar soon find themselves forced to meet again, however, when Kumar receives a package addressed to Harold. This sets off a chain of events that leads Harold and Kumar on a city wide adventure that has them looking for a Christmas tree, meeting NPH, encountering Santa and a Wafflebot, and getting tangled up with gangsters. Can Harold and Kumar become close pals again or is their friendship truly over?

When “Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle” first came out, I found it to be a refreshingly wild and hilarious cult comedy classic. When the sequel “Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” came out, I enjoyed it, but found it to be more or a less a retread of the first film. With the third installment (“A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas”), writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have taken the right route by paying homage to the previous two films while also creating an original story filled with wacky misadventures.

While the heart of the film is about Harold and Kumar’s friendship, the highlights of the film actually have nothing to do with them. It’s the bizarre and surprisingly out there elements that truly make this film stand out. Without going into too much detail (because I want them to be fresh for the viewers), I have to say that Wafflebot and the drugged out baby are far and away the funniest things about this film. Going into this third film, I knew nothing about these two characters which made them all the more amusing when they appeared on screen. After all, it’s not everyday that one sees a pancake hating robot or a politically incorrect subplot about a baby accidentally getting hooked on drugs in a movie. Is the drugged out baby in bad taste? Sure. But in a film like this, you just can’t help but go with it.

Summary: “A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas” is a worthy second sequel to “Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle.” In time, it might even become an annual Christmas classic.

Note: The Blu-ray disc contains the theatrical cut of the film as well as an extended cut that runs 6 minutes longer. Additionally, 3D fans might be interested to know that there is also a Blu-ray 3D disc set.

Video/Audio:

“A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas” is presented in 2.4:1 1080p. While the picture quality is a little on the fuzzy side, the colors really pop on this transfer. The crisp colors will certainly make you forget about some of the image issues.

The 5.1 DTS-HD audio track is surprisingly lively. From Wafflebot’s voice and the dialogue to the soundtrack and Claymation sequence sound f/x, everything sounds superb here.

Extras:
* Ultraviolet digital copy.
* DVD Copy- Normally, there would be a separate disc for a DVD copy, but instead Warner has decided to make the Blu-ray a flipper disc by having Blu-ray on side and DVD on the other hand. Personally, I think this is a terrible idea. I thought we were past the flipper stage?
* 3 deleted scnes involving Rosenberg, the baby, and Santa.
* Fox trailers and BD-Live capabilities.
* “Bringing Harold And Kumar Claymation To Life”- A brief featurette on the Claymation sequence which includes crew interviews and storyboards.

*”Through The Haze With Tom Lennon”- 6 goofy set diaries with cast member Thomas Lennon.

February 5, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas Blu-ray Review, John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, NPH, Thomas Lennon, Wafflebot