[.ca] Blues Brothers 2000 (Widescreen) (ISBN 0783228058)

From Amazon.com:
It's hard to ignore the sad and conspicuous absence of the late John Belushi, but this long-delayed sequel to 1980's The Blues Brothers still has Dan Aykroyd--as Chicago bad boy and blues rocker Elwood Blues--to keep the music alive. Once again, Elwood's trying to reunite the original Blues Brothers Band, and this time he's got a strip-joint bartender (John Goodman) and a 10-year-old orphan named Buster (J. Evan Bonifant) joining him at center stage. Believing that Elwood has kidnapped the kid, the cops are hot on his trail as the reunited band hits the road for the Battle of the Bands in Louisiana and the All-Star Blues Jam that ends the movie in a rockin' blaze of glory. It's a shameless clone of the first film, and nobody--especially not Aykroyd or director John Landis--seems to care that the story's not nearly as fun as the music that's used to stretch it out. Of course there's a seemingly endless parade of stunts, including a nonstop pileup of police cars that's hilariously absurd, but what really matters here--indeed, the movie's only saving grace--is the great lineup of legendary blues musicians. Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Junior Wells, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Jonny Lang, Eddie Floyd, and Blues Traveler are among the many special guests assembled for the film, and their stellar presence makes you wonder if the revived Blues Brothers shouldn't remain an obscure opening act. --Jeff Shannon

Chronique amazon.fr:
Dédié à la mémoire de John Belushi, Blues Brothers 2000 n'a été jugé qu'à l'aune du premier épisode à sa sortie. C'est bien dommage car si ce deuxième épisode ne vaut pas l'original (on ne retrouve ni l'humour ni la folie du Blues Brothers 1980), il n'est pas interdit d'y prendre un certain plaisir (les cascades sont toujours aussi impressionnantes). Près de vingt ans se sont écoulés, et John Landis a décidé d'évoquer la nostalgie du temps qui passe, plutôt que de bricoler une simple et banale suite (genre "Men In Black, le retour"). Faussement joyeux, "B.B. 2000" est en fait une parabole sur l'état du blues - genre musical vieillissant : l'occasion de croiser quelques monstres sacrés comme Aretha Franklin, B.B. King ou James Brown, lors d'un pèlerinage dans le Sud, via les marais de Louisiane, aux sources du mythe. Bien sûr, Belushi et Cab Calloway ne sont plus de la partie, mais le film perd en dynamisme ce qu'il gagne en émotion, en nostalgie. Le côté funèbre de l'entreprise n'empêche pas le cinéaste de nous distraire : chorégraphies bariolées, tôles endommagées et susceptibilités froissées sont au programme de ce sympathique divertissement (qui sera peut-être un jour redécouvert et réhabilité). David Mikanowski

This Is A Pathetic Movie:
If Blues Brothers 2000 were made as a documentary about the Blues Brothers or a documentary about the musicians in the movie, then I might've given it some stars, but, as a movie, this is a horrible, pathetic, feeble attempt to recreate the magic of the first film, which is a near perfect comedy. If there were an "E.T." part II, it would probably suck as bad as BB 2000. Certain movies should not be tainted with sequeals. This movie has animation! What audience was this movie created for? If I wanted to see a film strictly about blues performances and blues legends I'll rent a documentary. Blues Brothers is about the characters and this poor excuse for a movie has none of the elements that made the original such an excellent movie. If you have never seen it and are a fan of the Blues Brothers please do not buy it, it will destroy your image of Elwood and "the band."

Not as bad as they'd have you believe:
OK, So this isn't as good as the first film. And how could it compare to a classic. But it's actually one of the best sequels of any great film. Yes, the story is ludicrous, but it does still amuse. But in truth, the entire film is really just an excuse for linking great musical sets together. The music IS magnificent. (The acting is awful, but since most of the cast are professional singers rather than professional actors it isn't really surprising.) If anything the film is more of a homage to the original, taking everything (car chases, ridiculous plot) to the extreme. If you don't like the film the first time, watch it again. You might be surprised!

Mr Landis- you should be ashamed:
Can't see how anybody who loves the original can rate this pathetic sequal.The worst aspects for me are the casting of a silly little boy as a 'third' blues brother , the rip off of virtually every plot line from the first movie & second rate musical interludes from former greats who look & sound like they're only in this for the money. Don't buy this movie please .

Controversal Movie, naked DVD:
Well, let's get the ugly part out of the way. In trying to make a sequel to the beloved "The Blues Brothers," Landis and Aykroyd took a huge risk in a desperate money grab. The result is far short of perfect, and as a result the creaters have suffered a howling chorus of dreadful reviews. But step back and realize that anything short of the PERFECT sequel would have been critically thrashed, to say nothing of what the fans would have done (and did). Now one can see so many of the things that went right that could have gone horrifically wrong. In bringing John Goodman aboard, They refused to try to replace Jake, and instead created the new, likeable Mighty Mack, a much lower-key personality, and left Elwood in the driver's seat. I do want to say a second and point that Goodman is legitimately GOOD in this movie, without any handicapping. The same loony stunts are back. Then, ultimately, they DID remember the single best thing about the original movie, the music (as they adroitly pointed out in the first trailer). Here they have lined up a staggering array of musical talent, and the movie gets lively, upbeat feel from the marvelous sound. Of course, they also did a lot wrong. J. Evan Bonifant, as Buster Blues, is a mysterious addition. Cab Blues is an even more bizarre addition, purely added, in my estimation, to cover another loss (Cab Calloway) and let them re-work the I-see-the-light-scene from the first. The movie hems a little TOO close to the original, and quite frankly, the first movie's plot was stretched almost transparently thin in the first telling, setting aside the second. Some of the cameos are bordering on offensively flat (Darrell Hammond's, in particular), and that really brings us to the sum of the movie: it has all the right parts, but somehow they don't fit together. But many of the parts are REALLY right. But there a lot of friendly nods to the first film, and the movie keeps a fun breezy spirit. And really, on its own, without trying to make it stand next to the towering, built-up remembrance of the first, it is a fun movie with terrific music. The DVD, though, is one documentary away from being a direct copy of the VHS release. Shame! Shame! At least the DVD lets you skip to the musical numbers. Overall, it's a movie I liked an enjoyed, and like to go back to and watch every now and then (more than the original, mainly because its easier to skip scenes without a feeling of missing out). Not a great movie, but still something fun.

A comedic action musical? An action-packed musical comedy?:
I never watched the first one, so I'm not going to say anything about John Belushi, or "Was it better than the last one?" or any of that. If you saw the first one, you will be continually saying, "Duh, we know this backstory already," throughout the review, so you may choose to read a different one. Elwood Blues is an old blues musician, and he has an interest in restarting the Blues Brothers band. He finds out that his "father" and brother have died, and without these key players, it takes a little doing to restart the Blues Brothers. One of the new additions is a little 10-year old who is presumed to be kidnapped by Elwood. The Illinois police are soon after them, and the Blues Brothers join a battle of the bands competition. When the police aren't chasing them, a band of Russian communists (and later, a group of guerilla, anti-U.S militants) are. One car chase stands out in particularly: a road block turns into a fiasco as something similar to a mosh pit of police cars develops. Some of the songs are absolutely purposeless, as if a series of commerical jingles and music videos were played spontaneously throughout the movie. This movie has a little of everything. It's a featherweight (but certainly not light) on action and a definite heavyweight in comedy and music. This movie is a bit like a standard sports movie: a bunch of guys, past their prime, who used to play together, decide to get together once again and show the world who rules. It's a great comic musical, and one of the few musicals that isn't full of pickpockets or little girls singing in an orphanage (i.e. , Oliver Twist and Annie.)