PINK PANTHER 2

THE PINK PANTHER 2: When an actor is so closely associated with a role the way Peter Sellers was as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, attempting to replace him with another comedian (even one as gifted as Steve Martin) risks trampling on the very memory of what made the films successful. So it’s tempting to dismiss both films in this franchise reboot sight unseen, if only to preserve those precious slapstick experiences. But as a comedic foil for the next generation, I’m sure Martin’s take on the bumbling French detective is perfectly acceptable. In fact, this second installment adds a supporting cast that takes much of the weight off his shoulders, including Lily Tomlin as a Clouseau’s frustrated political correctness counselor and Alfred Molina as one member of a detective “Dream Team” charged with hunting down another master thief on the loose. I’m still not sure why Martin took on the challenge of topping Sellers classic creation; it’s really a no-win situation. While his gift for spastic overreactions and double-takes hasn’t lost a step, the signature accent and other character affections seem to be a poor fit. Harald Zwart directs with an up tempo pace that would have given original director Blake Edwards an aneurysm. The extended master shots and vaudevillian punchlines that defined the series are replaced with a more contemporary machine-gun approach which, again, are likely a better fit for a modern audience expecting their laughs at the same pace as their favorite sitcom. The Pink Panther 2 is not without its charms, but it’s simply costume jewelry compared to the brilliance of the original gem. MGM’s Blu-ray practically glows with colors, benefitting for brightly lit daytime scenes and gorgeous European location photography. A few featurettes and a trivia game introduce the extras, but the real meat of the three-disc set (which also includes a digital copy) is the inclusion of 27 classic Pink Panther cartoons.