Ted 2 (Blu-ray) (2015)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Deleted Scenes Outtakes Featurette-Cameo Buddies Featurette-A Giant Opening Dance Number Featurette-Thunder Buddies 4 Lyfe Featurette-Creating Comic-Con Featurette-Roadtripping Audio Commentary
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	115:34
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Seth MacFarlane
Studio Distributor	Universal Sony	Starring	Mark Wahlberg Seth MacFarlane Amanda Seyfried Jessica Barth Giovanni Ribisi Morgan Freeman
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	$29.95	Music	Walter Murphy

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.40:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes, Weed is smoked
		Annoying Product Placement	Yes, Comic-Con scene full of brands
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, Scene end of credits

     Even the most optimistic movie-goers could not have predicted the success of 2012’s Ted, and although opinions on Seth MacFarlane’s live-action directorial debut do vary, its $500 million worldwide box office take exceeded all expectations. With the feature having desensitised us to the idea of a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear, it’s business-as-usual for 2015’s Ted 2, a follow-up which retains the proclivity for infantile humour and pop culture shout-outs within a narrative that provides a degree of dramatic heft. Although not as instantly iconic as its forerunner, Ted 2 is a worthwhile companion piece, and it’s enormously funny and enjoyable as long as you’re not easily offended. MacFarlane and his co-writers haven’t exactly grown up, but that’s fine.

     The story picks up a couple of years after the first movie, with Ted (performed by MacFarlane) and his girlfriend Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) tying the knot, while Ted’s best buddy John (Mark Wahlberg) is still recovering from his recent divorce. Twelve months on, and Ted’s marriage is on the fritz, as the pair constantly argue and can barely tolerate each other. Deciding that a baby may help to repair their union, the duo begins exploring their options, but Ted’s civil rights are soon called into question by the government. Officially branded as “property,” Ted is forced to leave his job and his marriage is nullified. Deciding to fight the ruling, Ted and John call upon junior attorney Samantha Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) to prove that Ted is a person in the eyes of the law.

     Although MacFarlane’s last movie, A Million Ways to Die in the West, did satisfy this reviewer, it was undeniably long and self-indulgent, not to mention there wasn’t much substance beneath the movie’s surface. Ted was grounded due to the relationship of John and his beloved teddy bear which was easy to relate to, and Ted 2 traverses new thematic territory, with Tami-Lynn unable to have a child and with Ted receiving harsh treatment from the government. Moreover, Ted 2 actually provides a balanced discussion of race and gender issues which is somewhat thought-provoking despite all of the crude humour and profane language. A subplot involving the eternally creepy Donny (Giovanni Ribisi) - who’s now a janitor at Hasbro - does threaten to spoil the fun, but thankfully it’s handled briskly and tactfully. Likewise, the courtroom scenes could have been tedious, but the furious pacing never falters, and the gags keep on coming.

     As to be expected from MacFarlane, Ted 2’s humour is mostly derived from obscure pop culture references, creative uses of the f-bomb, prolonged comedic set-pieces (a battle royal at New York Comic Con is an instant classic), and hilarious non-sequiturs, including a completely random scene involving the leads tossing apples at joggers. A scene involving Ted and a surprise celebrity guest discussing Trix is side-splitting, and there’s a pitch-black scene at an improv comedy club that probably shouldn’t be as funny as it is. MacFarlane even plays around with cinematography for extra laughs - a heated argument between Ted and his wife is lensed using hilariously exaggerated vérité-style photography for heightened effect. There are other fun ideas here as well, including references to John Hughes movies (most notably Planes, Trains & Automobiles) and a brief parody of Jurassic Park that had this reviewer sobbing with laughter. While there are a lot of dumb jokes, Ted 2 lands more than it misses, with MacFarlane maintaining a constant stream of woofers and never dwelling on one punch-line for too long.

     The original Ted was bolstered by superb digital effects, and the CGI is actually improved here - the titular teddy bear looks photorealistic. It’s possible to forget we are looking at a computer-generated character, which is a huge plus since neither the comedy nor the story would resonate if Ted didn’t look convincing. Ted 2 is a fantasy, of course, yet we can believe that this toy is a living, breathing character...who does drugs and is a deviant in the bedroom. MacFarlane again does well in the role, displaying spot-on comedic timing and selling the one-liners with gusto. Beside him, Wahlberg again performs admirably, scoring ample laughs whilst somehow remaining fairly restrained. Mila Kunis was unable to return here due to her pregnancy, and it’s definitely hard to swallow that John and Lori broke up, especially since it makes the events of the original movie feel utterly pointless in the long run. Nevertheless, in her place, Seyfried is a worthy love interest. They have great chemistry, and it’s a credit to MacFarlane for choosing an actress who works well with Wahlberg. Meanwhile, the supporting cast is filled out with other great names - even Morgan Freeman plays a small but critical role. Sam Jones plays himself yet again, and Ribisi’s minor appearance as Donny is mightily amusing.

     The internet community sharpened their knives for Ted 2, ostensibly due to the underwhelming nature of A Million Ways to Die in the West, the mysterious dislike for Family Guy, and the fact that it has become hip to retroactively hate on the surprise hit that was the original Ted. Yet, the sequel worked for this reviewer - even though it runs a bit long at close to two hours, I enjoyed every minute of it, as it’s frequently amusing and has a solid story at its core. It’s hard to imagine any fans of the first film being disappointed. And be sure to stay until the end of the credits.

     This Blu-ray contains both the Theatrical Version (115:34) and the Unrated Version (125:50). Personally, I preferred the extended cut, which adds a few extra scenes and lines that made me laugh.

Video

     Universal brings Ted 2 to Blu-ray with an AVC-encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 2.40:1, and the results look absolutely breathtaking on my 42” LG screen. Placed on a BD-50 with a very reasonable bitrate, there is nothing to complain about here, and that’s coming from someone who almost always finds digital photography to look too smooth on Blu-ray.

     I viewed Ted 2 on more than one occasion at the cinema, and can confidently say that this disc faithfully replicates the theatrical viewing experience at home. Colours are strong, looking exactly the same as they did at the cinema. Skin-tones look natural, while outdoor environments are lush and vibrant. Even in darkness, the palette remains incredibly rich and well-delineated.

     Detail is staggering. Close-ups reveal every minutiae on each respective actor’s face, while clothing is astonishingly rich and textured. Being a digitally-shot movie, no grain or noise is visible here, and yet the image still looks highly detailed and razor-sharp. Indeed, the sharpness really is something to behold.

     Luckily, the encode yields no flaws or anomalies to speak of. Scenes at night do not suffer from crush, with the image consistently looking beautiful and stable. No banding or aliasing crops up, either. It’s smooth sailing, emerging as unexpected demo material. This may be a comedy, but it really does benefit from the HD boost. I cannot say enough positive things about this transfer.

     Only English subtitles are available on the release, and they pose no issues.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
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Overall

Audio

     Only one audio option is available on this Blu-ray: a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. There is also an audio commentary and a descriptive audio track, for those interested. Ted 2 is not a big-budget blockbuster and thus did not need a 7.1 or an Atmos track, therefore the 5.1 audio mix does its job extraordinarily well.

     Being a comedy, dialogue is the main concern, and it’s good news all-round. As to be expected, the dialogue mostly comes through the front channels, and it’s mixed effectively and clearly. It’s always easy to hear what is being said, with no muffled lines. There’s plenty of music and other subtle ambience which occupies the rear channels, making for an all-round impressive and immersive listen.

     Ted 2 does feature some notable set-pieces, with the Comic-Con brawl and a car chase, and the mix always sounds professional and crisp. There is some noticeable separation, particularly with lines of dialogue coming from only one side. The subwoofer activity is not overwhelming, but that’s entirely by design.

     Any fans of the movie will not be disappointed. Ted 2 looks and sounds sensational on Blu-ray.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     A standard set of extras.

Deleted Scenes (HD; 4:24)

     A tiny selection of deleted exchanges and moments. The majority of these scenes have finished digital effects, thus were likely cut late into the editing process. All are in HD, and they can be watched either individually or via a “Play All” function.

• Buy My Shoes (00:35) - An amusing extra moment when John and Ted meet with Sam’s lawyer uncle.
• WWI (00:42) - Sam asks John and Ted about their WWI knowledge. Funny.
• We Should Celebrate (00:35) - Another funny exchange after Sam talks to Meighan over the phone.
• No Rules (00:39) - John and Ted talk about having their court case in a restaurant that advertises “No Rules.” This made me laugh.
• Text Tami-Lynn (00:32) - A small moment in the barn.
• Greek Orthodox (00:28) - John defends his charge for buying weed.
• Outside Meighan’s Office (00:55) - This is a line-o-rama rather than a deleted scene, with alternate lines as Ted yells at John and Sam for making out.

Gag Reel (HD; 2:39)

     A mildly amusing selection of bloopers, stuff-ups and on-set gags.

Thunder Buddies 4 Lyfe (HD; 7:28)

     A light, breezy behind-the-scenes featurette which looks at John and Ted’s relationship and covers the shooting of a few scenes, with some of the cast also talking about what it’s like acting opposite a digital teddy bear.

Creating Comic-Con (HD)

     Four behind-the-scenes segments focusing on different aspects of making the Comic-Con sequence. There is no “Play All” function, leaving you to select these individually.

• The Exhibitors (2:56) - An all-too-brief look at creating the Comic-Con set, with the production having reached out to a number of companies for merchandise to make the sequence feel authentic. Very cool.
• The Costumes (3:21) - A short but funny glimpse at the costumes for the sequence, with the production supplying various outfits and props while other extras came in wearing their own stuff.
• The Stunts (4:15) - Highly amusing behind-the-scenes segment on coordinating the nerd fight. Some nice insight and on-set footage is included.
• The Showdown (4:12) - This last segment involves the showdown with Donny, covering the stunt with John getting knocked by the big Enterprise model.

Cameo Buddies (HD)

     Four short behind-the-scenes featurettes about the familiar faces who agreed to cameo in the movie. These can only be viewed individually.

• Morgan Freeman (1:22) - Seth and the cast talk about their adoration for Morgan Freeman.
• Tom Brady (1:12) - Some funny on-set footage interspersed with interviews discussing Brady’s cameo.
• Liam Neeson (1:07) - Neeson, who also appeared in A Million Ways to Die in the West, comes out for a day to shoot his cameo.
• David Hasselhoff (3:26) - The best segment here, The Hoff talks about his willingness to loosen up and have a bit of fun, and there’s some on-set footage of him entertaining the audience between takes. Very funny stuff.

The Great Opening Dance Number (HD; 8:48)

     MacFarlane has always had an interest in musicals, hence the idea of doing a huge dance number for the opening sequence is hardly surprising. This insightful behind-the-scenes featurette traces the rehearsal and filming process, with the sequence being filmed on an old soundstage that possesses historical significance.

Roadtripping (HD; 8:51)

     This final behind-the-scenes featurette is concerned with the key sequences during the road trip, including the “Mess Around” scene, the car crashing into the barn, and the chase with the drug dealers. Insightful and interesting.

Feature Commentary with Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild and Jessica Barth

     Only available on the Unrated Version (MacFarlane constantly points out moments which did not make it into the theatrical cut), this audio commentary is heaps of fun, which is to be expected. The commentators are all upbeat and friendly, sharing numerous scene-specific anecdotes to provide insight into the filming process. They speak about the actors, the crew, the locations, the little cameos, snack foods, and many more topics. It’s definitely one of the livelier tracks I’ve heard for a while, even though it’s not sophisticated in any way. Oddly, the commentary mentions a lot of additional material which is not part of the extended cut and is not on the Blu-ray. One must wonder why there isn’t a meaty line-o-rama on this disc - there was one for the first movie.

     Note that the back cover does not list the commentary in the special features, which gave me a mini heart attack before I loaded up the Blu-ray, but it most certainly is on this disc.

    The American Blu-ray edition seems identical to our local release. Buy local.

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