Thursday, July 23, 2015

Review of TED 2: Original vs. Sequel

July 23, 2015



"Ted 2" assumes you had already seen "Ted" (2012). It starts right into the action, without reminding us what the first movie was all about. You may not fully appreciate "Ted 2" without first watching "Ted". However, having seen "Ted" first will also show you the deficiencies of this sequel.

The first "Ted" was told like a bedtime story about a Christmas wish which came true. John Bennett, an ignored little boy from Boston, wished his new teddy bear will become his best friend. The morning after, the bear actually came alive and they become "thunder buddies for life". Years later, Ted, with his dirty mouth and nutty misadventures with weed and the ladies, comes between the relationship of John and his long-time girlfriend Lori. Meanwhile, a creepy obsessed fanatic named Donny wants Ted for himself and his son. 

The sequel is set six years after the events of the first film. It tells of Ted settling down with his white-trash girlfriend from the first film. Their efforts to adopt a child lead them into a legal nightmare, with Ted is proclaimed to be merely as "property," not a real person with rights. John, with the help of a young pro-bono (and of course pretty) lawyer Samantha Jackson, try to prove Ted's personhood in court. Meanwhile, the same creepy obsessed fanatic named Donny still had more evil plans against Ted.

The first Ted had a lot of swearing, drug use, and offensive racist or misogynistic jokes, all told in the brash yet light-hearted Seth MacFarlane style. It actually had a very engaging story of friendship to tell. Marky Mark Wahlberg (as the adult John) really had a great connection with Ted in their scenes. The cute novelty of the animated teddy bear itself was adorable, despite his faults. While watching that film, we all wished we had a Ted of our own, a less id-driven version though. The scenes of 80s nostalgia were also fun, particularly those about Flash Gordon and its lead star Sam Jones. The presence of Mila Kunis (as Lori) was a big plus in the film. The dramatic chase scene at Fenway Park was both heartstopping and heartbreaking.

The second Ted also had a lot of swearing, drug use, offensive jokes, and Sam Jones too. However, the novelty factor of the first film is definitely not there anymore. All the weed smoking and Sam Jones jokes really got stretched out a lot and bogged the film down. Amanda Seyfried (as their lawyer) is spunky, but she had little chemistry with Wahlberg and Ted, unlike Kunis before her. The first quarter of the film had funny celebrity cameos
and one big LOL scene involving John and a cabinet full of vials of a particular body fluid which was hilariously disgusting. After that though, the laughs were few and far between. A climactic scene at the end involving an old Tiffany hit song will not mean anything for people who had not seen the first film. Even Morgan Freeman's guest appearance felt wasted.

The raunchy and irreverent humor of Seth MacFarlane is really the polarizing issue here. I enjoyed the first "Ted" and even the much-maligned "A Million Ways to Die in the West". This is despite the fact that I do not really approve of excessive vulgarity of language and drug use in films. It's hard to explain what was it about Seth MacFarlane's brand of comedy that I like, but perhaps it is that undeniable good nature that shines through his crass jokes. For "Ted 2" though, I felt this was an unnecessary sequel with an execution so lazy and heavy-handed such that it sapped out most the charm and cleverness that made the first film the big success it was. 

"Ted": 7/10, "Ted 2": 4/10. 


17 comments:

  1. That's just too bad. Although I haven't seen both movies, a lot of my friends still talk about Ted up to this day, that's how strong the impression was of the first movie. I think the fanbase was really the sole reason for putting up the second movie, I just wished they put more thought into it.

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  2. This is a great review. Glad that you warned us about seeing the first one before watching this. It's just too bad that they didn't make this as a stand alone movie.

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  3. I've watched the first one and omg i was like Ted is really cute but hmm okay hahaha ,i agree that mila kunis did a great role in Ted ,will be ready to watch Ted 2 soon ,great review by the way
    Www.angiebeautydiaries.blogspot.com

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  4. I've watched the first one and omg i was like Ted is really cute but hmm okay hahaha ,i agree that mila kunis did a great role in Ted ,will be ready to watch Ted 2 soon ,great review by the way
    Www.angiebeautydiaries.blogspot.com

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  5. wow, that's a pretty bad rating. and i didn't even really enjoyed the first one that much. too crude for me to laugh about it. i guess i'll give ted 2 a miss.

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  6. I've watched the first movie way back and I hated it because of all the cursing and stuff so I think I would pass on watching the sequel. I guess this movie is just not my type. :p

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  7. Haha... And I thought I was harsh on Ted 2. you gave only 2! But again, I didn't watch the first film... so I won't compare~

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  8. I have watched Ted first movie and find it nice. Great to see your genuine review on Ted 2 .Will look forward to see if anything to compare.

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  9. I haven't seen the first part yet so I'll definitely watch them together this weekend.

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  10. It looks like the sequel didn't live up to the original. They just used the same formula in terms of adult humor with not much story to tell.

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  11. I regret watching this film. Piro bad words ang narinig ng wife ko. Just a waste of time Sir.

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  12. I guess it takes only a certain type of person to be able to appreciate Ted. I personally don't like the movie series as well :(

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  13. I have watched the first Ted but havent finished the whole movie. I will try to watched it again then I will watch Ted 2. I hope i can finish the whole movie first haha

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  14. ive seen this but i prefer the first one. there are funny bits in the second

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  15. I watched Ted 1 and will watch Ted 2 when it start screening here. I think this will not be as entertaining as the first one.

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  16. Oh man... I was just thinking of catching Ted 2 with my husband. Maybe I better not. I appreciate your honest review.

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  17. I loved the first Ted and before I could conclude the 2nd part as we have different preferences when towards things, I would want to see it for myself first. Though if you say that people needs to watch the first one first, that's really not ideal for sequels. Good sequels can stand on their own but also connected with their previous ones. Great examples I personally love Harry Potter Series and the Fast and Furious.

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