Crank: High Voltage
Chev Chelios is back! After falling out of a helicopter, a couple of Chinese triad members kidnap him and decide to take replace his heart with an artificial version that runs on batteries so that they can put his inside their boss. Chev isn’t all too happy with that so decides to kick some ass and get his ticker back, but to do that he’ll have to regularly get some jolts of electricity in his body …
Sound and Vision:
For a DVD release we can easily say that Crank 2 does what it needs to do. The image is superb and except for some noise it’s a lot better than you would expect seeing the shakycam style of filming added with tons of flashy colors and intentional grain. Edge enhancement is the first thing you would expect when watching this rollercoaster ride but luckil it’s nowhere to be seen.
The sound does an excellent job as well with a very decent 5.1 soundtrack that constantly pours basslines over you that make sure you keep to the ground.
Extras:
– Audio Commentary track
– Making of Crank
– Crank 2 Take 2
– Trailers
A very standard pack of extras that don’t really stand out in any way
Conclusion:
Crank was already a rollercoaster ride where Jason Statham had to keep up his adrenaline levels in order to keep his heart pumping. In this sequel, the makers go even further by replacing his heart by an artificial one that needs external power every now and then. The result is an over-the-top version of Popeye that replaces spinach by electricity.
Is it a good movie? Well, that’s another question. There’s plenty of jokes and the action is completely insane so if you’re into that you might enjoy it. Personally I didn’t, however, as things go so berserk that I found it to be all but funny. The sex scene at the horse racing track will certainly be a highlight for some but for me it lasted way too long and several of the side characters seem to have come straight out of a bad manga movie which doesn’t help either.
Crank was a fun movie but the way Crank 2 goes so much more over the top makes it crash like a train that can’t keep its rails anymore
5.0