Released in 1980, three years after the original, Smokey and the Bandit II is a textbook example of an unnecessary sequel. With the original movie being a box office hit, the studio really wanted a second movie To be fair, they were able to get the gang back together, including those in front of the camera and director, Hal Needham, however, this movie is really lacking the soul that the original had.
How to Download Smokey and the Bandit II
Smokey and the Bandit II was released on August 15, 1980. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
That original Smokey and the Bandit movie as I said in my review of it, caught lightning in a bottle. Despite being pretty much the exact same movie, Smokey and the Bandit II feels like a lesser imitation of that movie. It is not a horrible movie at all, but it feels like a movie that was made purely to make the studio a ton of money.
A Different Take on Bandit’s Character
The main thing that I do not like about this movie is Bandit himself. Carrie left him after the events of the first movie and even went back to Junior! This put Bandit in a real funk and he is not the happy go lucky kind of guy that we loved in the first movie, as a matter of fact, he is a bit of a miserable asshole for a large portion of this movie and his friends are trying to snap him out of it. Bandit being like this is the only real major change of the movie.
A Familiar Plot with a New Cargo
The Snowman and The Bandit are once again tasked with trying to haul cargo from one part of the USA to the next. This time, they need to transport an elephant from Miami to Dallas for a big political convention. There is big money on the line if they can do this, but Carrie agrees to come and help, once again leaving Junor and putting Smokey on high alert and wanting to bring Bandit down…. It really is pretty much the same plot as the first movie, but we have an elephant instead of beer!
Stunts, Laughs, and a Missing Spark
Here is the thing, there are still impressive crashes and car chases and the demolition derby scene with the trucks is phenomenal, that must have been a nightmare to film safely. However, there is just something lacking here. It is almost like it has no soul, like you can tell this was made to make a quick buck. As far as the stunts go, they put a ton of effort into the movie, there is no denying that, but the story and the characters are really lacking this time around.
Smokey and the Bandit II still has some laughs that is for sure and once again, I got a kick out of the crazy stuff Jackie Gleason would say, but this pales in comparison to the first movie in pretty much every regard. It is not a movie that I would turn off if I was flipping the channels and came across it. However, it is also not the kind of movie I would make a big effort to watch again.
