Crank: High Voltage (2009)

Crank: High Voltage (R)

"Jason Lives!"

Director duo Neveldine/Taylor's highly unlikely return the crack highlight reel that was Jason Statham and Crank somehow not only was conceived but produced as Chelios returns from the supposed dead sans his heart, stolen by the Chinese Tongs and replaced with a Kawasaki battery powered replacement without a warranty, and now Chelios must find his stolen ticker and keep his fake one electrified and the bad guys bleeding as he retreads most of the plot points and techniques from the first wacked-out drug laced original with a bad case of sequilitis, wherein the same jokes are made but "funnier", same actions taken but "bigger", see in the first Chelios kept his dying heart beating by putting the spurs to his girlfriend on a mailbox in Chinatown, while here he mounts up on the horse race track, no on the dirt of the track where all the spectators can see and his girlfriend can once again become embarrassed, but some of the moving parts are still fun to watch, even as they get a bit grimier, dirtier and less pure, like pure china white cut with baby powder, probably for die hard fans only but the giant Godzilla-like montage near the start of the film almost makes entry worthwhile, but the less experimental nature and extensive use of cheap digital photography make the hangover much more painful, and the high a bit more jagged.

5.5 Giant Jason Statham Masks would Sell! out of 10 (MEDIOCRE)