bilbopooh's Full Review: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
As I write, I am watching Home Alone 2 for the umpteenth time. And I have to admit, it's pretty good. The thing that bugs me about this movie is that it is so similar to the first one. Kevin employs all the tricks from the first movie in a new setting. He uses a gangster movie's dialogue to scare away unwanted visitors. He sets up a dummy to present the impression that an adult is around. And, of course, he sets up tons of ingenious and painful traps for his pursuers, the same bumbling duo from the first movie who just happen to be in New York City.
Yes, this time instead of being alone in his house, Kevin catches the wrong flight when his family flies to Florida and winds up in New York City...with his dad's credit card. It's every kid's dream come true until he discovers that Marv and Harry are out of prison and on the loose. And when he uncovers their plot to rob Duncan's Toy Chest, a luxurious toy store run by a kindly old gentleman who donates all of the profit from his Christmas Eve sales to kids in the children's hospital, Kevin is determined to stop them.
In the first movie, Kevin was deathly afraid of his elderly next-door neighbor until he talked to him and found out he wasn't so bad after all. In fact, it was this man who ultimately saved him from the ruthless robbers. In this movie, it's an Irish birdwoman. She's pretty creepy looking all covered with pigeons, but when she helps Kevin out when he ventures alone into Central Park at night, he befriends her and she eventually serves the same purpose as his neighbor did in the first movie.
There is a definite pattern here, and the similarities between the two movies are unmistakable. But it works the second time around just as well as it did the first, so I guess I won't complain about it. It's almost as if they're alluding to the first movie, as was the case with Back to the Future II. One notable new device that pops up in this movie is the Talkboy, which Kevin uses to record messages and alter his voice. These went on to be sold in stores, and my brother got one for Christmas. We've had quite a bit of fun with it since then.
If you liked Home Alone, you'll get a kick out of the sequel. It's just as good -- if not even better -- as the first, and although it's predictable, it'll give you a good laugh and warm your heart just the same. I highly recommend it.
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