Being a huge Hard Core Logo fan, I eagerly anticipated this sequel as the start of Bruce McDonald's long-teased resurgence of the Hard Core Logo Universe. When I saw that HCL2 was to play at TIFF '11, I hastily bought my ticket and hoped to once again experience that real feeling that was the original film. What I got instead was one of those films that bears little resemblance to the original, with only one or two minor characters from the original (think of the American Pie direct-to-video sequels featuring Jim's Dad) in a dull, 'thinks-it's- better-than-it-is' package. Where HCL was a film about a the band of the same name, HCL2 is basically a mostly-fictional tale of Bruce McDonald's life since the original film. In this film Care Failure of Die Mannequin is the rock star, supposedly possessed by the spirit of Joe Dick, who should have been relegated to a cameo at the most. She just sits around smoking, mumbling, and trying to stay awake. She is lifeless and uninteresting. The same can be said for the entire film. The original had energy, passion, emotion. HCL2 is just a mess of scenes lacking any intrigue or drama. There is simply nothing engaging about the film. No plot, no musical set pieces, no one with any real acting skills. There are laughs in the film, though few and far between, and they, along with Julian Richings return as Bucky Haight, are the saving graces of HCL2. I would go as far as to say this film is a disgrace to the name Hard Core Logo. It seems Bruce was desperate to just make that sequel he had been itching for and didn't care if he had a quality script. HCL2 is weak and a waste of time.
