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@augustkellerwrites
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Home Alone 2 amplifies its predecessor's flaws with none of its charm. Following Home Alone beat-for-beat, it's a forced, empty, and predictable cash grab. Plus, it completely undoes any growth that happened in the original, returning the protagonists to their starting points so they can repeat the same exact lessons. Consequently, the (over)dramatic beats feel horribly insincere and the action sequences feel like mean-spirited excess. Besides that, all that's left is self-indulgent fan service and tone-deaf themes (humanizing the unhoused directly exposes the hypocrisy of the dehumanizing violence). Overall, Home Alone 2 exemplifies everything that's wrong with commercialized moviegoing.
Technically, Home Alone 2 is cheesy and trivializing. Its tone clumsily switches between Hallmark and Looney Tunes, highlighting the counterproductive artificiality of both. The cartoonish effects feel especially off-putting. Similarly, there's often strained overacting because the material is so clunky, manufactured, and trite. Meanwhile, the sound design is silly, the editing is cliche, the production design is drab, and the cinematography is minimal. The soundtrack remains effective, but its manipulation is exposed when carrying such hollow emotions. Ultimately, some might buy into its sanitized drama and cruel comedy, but many will see Home Alone 2's shameless cynicism.
Writing: 3/10
Direction: 2/10
Cinematography: 5/10
Acting: 4/10
Editing: 6/10
Sound: 5/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10
Production Design: 4/10
Casting: 8/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall Score: 5.1/10
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