Wayne’s World 2 (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Jun 25, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Stephen SurjikRelease Date(s)
1993 (May 27 2025)Studio(s)
Paramount Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: C-
Review
It’s fair to say that comedy sequels certainly don’t come in all sizes. It’s often diminishing returns since the original idea that got the ball rolling in the first place has either lost its luster or is worn too thin, or both. The sometimes fabled and openly publicized behind-the-scenes stories on Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2 meant that, no matter what Mike Myers and company had in store for the further adventures of the fun-loving Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, it was probably going to be at least interesting. Thankfully, Wayne’s World 2 not only delivers the postmodern comedic goods, but Wayne and Garth hadn’t overstayed their welcome, and the sequel is all the better for it.
A year has passed. They’re a little older. They’re a little wiser. In fact, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) have somehow wrestled back the rights to their beloved Aurora, Illinois TV show and they’ve moved out of their parents’ houses, living and making the show in an abandoned doll factory downtown. Wayne continues his relationship with Cassandra (Tia Carrere), a beautiful rock and roll musician on the verge of hitting the big time at Sharp Records, and in the producorial clutchesd of Bobby (Christopher Walken). Unsure of his direction in life, Wayne is visited in his dreams by Jim Morrison, who tells him that he should put on a concert in Aurora, which is later christened Waynestock. Meanwhile, Garth is falling for the feminine wiles of Honey Hornée (Kim Basinger) and Bobby is attempting to abscond with Cassandra behind Wayne’s back. Wayne is also dealing with meeting Cassandra’s father (James Hong) and navigating the difficulties in putting together a concert with former roadie and rock and roll burnout Del Preston (Ralph Brown), who’s come aboard to help make Waynestock a reality. Also making appearances are Ed O’Neill, Chris Farley, Drew Barrymore, Olivia d’Abo, Harry Shearer, Tim Meadows, Robert Smigel, Bob Odenkirk, Kevin Pollack, Charlton Heston, Rip Taylor, and Aerosmith.
Like the first film, Wayne’s World 2 operates on its own frequency, perhaps even more so. It takes the time to acknowledge the audience, with Wayne frequently speaking directly to camera, but it also dips into more surrealist and supernatural territory. Almost like a living cartoon, it has its own set of rules of operation, breaks those rules, makes up new ones, and continues to break them, as well. It shouldn’t work, but because the characters are so charming and likable, and there’s an actual plot to follow, whatever ridiculous tangents it goes down, it functions pretty smoothly. It’s also nice to see characters have some growth in between films, even if it’s a small amount of growth.
For instance, one of the unspoken aspects of Wayne’s World 2 is that the TV show has moved up in the world since the events of the last film. Despite the lack of an explanation as to how the rights were acquired, the show is no longer on public access television and it’s now on local cable. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it shows some progression. Having a sequel that’s not a straight a re-hash of the original that tries to do something a little different is refreshing, which is Wayne’s World 2’s biggest strength. It’s not trying to be bigger and better than the first film, just entertaining in similar but offbeat ways.
Sadly, it was the last we’d see of Wayne and Garth in feature form as a third Wayne’s World film never materialized, and likely never will. The shame of it is that there’s potentially still more there to mine without diluting it. Gene Siskel even put forth the notion at the time of its release (he and Roger Ebert thoroughly enjoyed both films) that a third film could involve a potential marriage between Wayne and Cassandra, and that it might lead Wayne down another path of enlightenment, with plenty of yucks along the way.
There may be dated jokes and references in both films that newer generations may not understand or appreciate, but Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2 are still, similar to the Bill and Ted franchise, cheerful and creative slices of comedic escapism. They always have an eye on the narrative while driving down whatever digressive and subversive roads they come to. Oh, and they’re still funny, too.
Wayne’s World 2 was shot by cinematographer Francis Kenny on 35mm film using Panavision Panaflex Gold Cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative that’s graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Paramount did a great job with the original film on UHD, and Kino steps up with the sequel, courtesy of a master prepared by Paramount, who chose not to release it themselves. It’s a mostly excellent presentation that’s much crisper and sharper than previous releases, with a mild celluloid-based softness. Bitrates can be a little erratic at times, though they mostly sit in the 70 to 90Mbps range. A very fine layer of grain is on display, which is maybe a touch too smooth, but nothing ever appears waxy or splotchy. The HDR handles the film’s color palette well, although flesh tones sometimes appear very red. The rest of the palette is very natural with excellent contrast, deep blacks, and amazing shadow and background detail. The image is also stable and clean. Many would consider the sequel to be the lesser visually, which is true to some degree, but Kino’s and Paramount’s UHD treatment is strong.
Audio is included in English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The film was released in Dolby Stereo, and the stereo track included here appears to be an approximation of that experience. Both tracks exhibit strong placement all around the sound stage, though the stereo track is slightly more panoramic in certain moments. It also has more rounded low end with deeper bass for various musical numbers, including the two excellent performances by Aerosmith. Dialogue exchanges are discernible and sound effects have plenty of fidelity, as well. This isn’t a film that’s meant to wow you with amazing sound design, but it’s represented well on these two tracks. Unfortunately, this is not entirely the theatrical sound experience as some of the music has been altered, but unlike the Stairway to Heaven joke in the first film, the changes go by unnoticed. One is a generic cover of the 1966 Batman Theme by Neal Hefti and, purportedly but unsubstantiated, Badfinger’s No Matter What. Unfortunately, no prints of the film have surfaced to verify what’s been altered entirely, but if you’re a long time fan of the film and didn’t see it in the theater, you’re not missing out on anything anyway.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of Wayne’s World 2 sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p dual-layered BD-50 Blu-ray and a double-sided insert, featuring artwork from one of the film’s theatrical posters used primarily for its home video releases on one side (which is also used for the slipcover), and new artwork by an unknown artist on the reverse. The following extras are included on both discs:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary with Stephen Surjik
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary with Stephen Surjik
- Wayne’s World 2: Extreme Close-Up (SD – 14:06)
- US TV Spots (Upscaled SD – 6 in all – 3:04)
- UK TV Spots (Upscaled SD – 2 in all – :51)
- Teaser Trailer (HD – 1:22)
- Wayne’s World Trailer (HD – 2:08)
- Wayne’s World 2 Trailer (HD – 2:17)
- Billy Madison Trailer (HD – 2:00)
- Black Sheep Trailer (SD – 2:21)
- Kingpin Trailer (HD – 1:28)
- CB4 Trailer (SD – 2:31)
Outside of the marketing materials, these extras have been included with Wayne’s World 2 since its original DVD release. The audio commentary with director Stephen Surjik is very choppy with many gaps of silence, and ultimately frustrating if you’re looking for deeper information about the making of the film. To his credit, he does manage to parlay some things of interest, but it’s a difficult track to get invested in. Another DVD-era extra is Extreme Close-Up, which interviews the main people involved with the making of the film, including Mike Myers, producer Lorne Michaels, Tia Carrere, Dana Carvey, and Stephen Surjik. There’s also several random pieces of behind-the-scenes footage and on set photographs scattered throughout. Next is some of the film’s promotional material, including six US and two UK TV spots, the hilarious THX teaser trailer, theatrical trailers for the first and second film, and trailers for other releases by Kino Lorber.
Revisiting Wayne’s World 2 is always a joy. For me personally, it’s a comfort food sort of movie, and I tend to prefer it over the first, which I believe many others are just the opposite. Nevertheless, it’s nice that the film finally has its due on 4K Ultra HD with a mostly solid and satisfying picture.
- Tim Salmons
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