It was then that I got hip to what was going on. It is obvious that Elwood is high. After being in the clink for so long, upon release, Elwood got himself hooked up with some South Side sticky and smoked out. What a wonderful thing for the sequel to finally give Elwood some relief from his dry toast state of mind. I decided I could get used to stoned Elwood and continued watching.
My next big problem with this sequel is the inclusion of the kid, Buster Blues. It reeks of Scrappy Doo pandering, entirely unnecessary, as children have always been drawn to the slapstick and car chases of the concept. Having a young kid running around in the suit and shades is a blight on the original, with the word betrayal looming large again. Time to finish that Star Queen pre-roll to see if I can find a different mind to reflect upon this abomination.
Quiet blue velvet curtains draw closed behind my eyes and reopen to previously unseen vistas. It was at this point I noticed how the kid snapped back when spoken to, as well as hold his own against a frothing pack over middle aged blues men. It was the kind of anti-cute with a wild streak that combines the best parts of Jake and Elwood’s personalities, which shows a lot of respect in the design. Instead of diverging from the original, the Buster Blues part of Blues Brothers 2000 is revealed to be a crucial lifeline that links the first to the second in the most unexpected way.
A bizarre third-act scene from Blues Brothers 2000 with the band transformed into green monsters.
“Far out, the Blues Brothers got turned into big green monsters, that is so cool.”
At this point, I am completely aligned with the filmmaker’s vision and am no longer bucking each scene or music number as it arrives. That is, until we get to the witch. Blues Brothers 2000 has a witch that comes in the third act and, in one scene, turns the Blues Brothers into Frankenstein-like green monsters, which she then makes them do a stiff-legged dance routine. Absolutely, positively f*****g not. I am out; this is a bridge too far.
I will acknowledge that the first movie set itself in a Looney Tunes-type universe with people walking away from car flips and building demolitions, Will E. Coyote style. The inclusion of the occult in such a goofy, Hanna-Barbara type disregard for decorum is big time monstro betrayal that is both unforgivable and unwatchable. I was at a stopping point and needed another Rocket 88 to get going again. Fire sprang from my fingertips as the twisted tip of the infused Blues Blitz honker got lit.
In no time at all, Blues Blitz turned me into the track 7 of that CD you used to listen to over and over back in the day. Everything that had hardened over suddenly got loose; suddenly, I wasn’t this bitter geezer criticizing everything anymore. My brain got a new pair of shades, and suddenly I could see clearly. Far out, the Blues Brothers got turned into big green monsters, that is so cool. Hey, check out that funky witch.
I could totally see how children at the turn of the century would fall in love with this on cable. I can also see how this would be the first cultural wedge between their parents and them. Mom and Dad need to light up a Blues Blitz Rocket 88 and chill out. The Blues Brothers weed is so well-grown and powerful that it can make you enjoy Blues Brothers 2000. Jump inside the nearest used police car and head to the closest purveyor of fine Blues Brothers products; it will have you doing backflips in church.
