Half-Baked 2? No Thanks

credit: Half-Baked

Saying ‘no thanks’ in regard to a movie that Hollywood has decided to push is kind of useless and has been for a while since. Whether the public wants it or not, the movie is going to be forced on them. That appears to be the case when it comes to the idea of creating a sequel to Half-Baked, one of the movies that have been seen as one of the best stoner films in a long time. To give the movie the proper credit, it was hilarious and did put together an impressive cast with a lot of great cameos and minor appearances by various celebrities that helped to elevate the movie just enough to the status it’s held for a while. But considering that the sequel is coming out during a time when woke culture and cancel culture are continually perched like hawks waiting to strike at anything that moves in a manner they don’t like, it’s already easy to guess that this sequel is going to be something that’s not worthy of the original movie unless it’s willing to ignore the wokeness and the cancel-ready individuals that are usually bound and determined to keep things as PC as possible. Yes, that’s a joke. It’s just too bad that sarcasm doesn’t come out as well in print as it does in a video. 

credit: Half-Baked

It’s not just the fact that the movie is a sequel. It doesn’t have a great chance of surpassing the first movie due to the absence of key characters. 

Sequels are already placed under a great deal of scrutiny since unless there’s a good reason to make one, a lot of people are going to question whether this is a great idea or not from the start. Going even further than that, the fact is that a lot of sequels don’t stand a chance when they’re bound to be compared to the first movie, whether they’re meant to be a direct continuation or not. Half-Baked is a 90s movie which shouldn’t matter, but kind of does since back in the 90s it was still okay to tell raunchy jokes, to talk and act in certain ways without fear of being canceled or called a half-dozen different names that could ruin one’s reputation, and to just have fun with the act of making movies. There were taboos, to be certain, but the landscape didn’t contain so many social landmines either. 

The plot is enough to make a lot of people cringe. 

Apparently, the plot goes that after a friend dies smoking the best joint ever, the remaining friends attempt to raise money for the funeral. There are plenty of hijinks that could be thought up for an idea such as this, but seriously, getting Kenny out of jail in the first movie still sounds like a way better idea since it starts off with a less depressing plot that can inspire people in a number of ways. The idea for this movie, which was given the green light (who knows why), is one of those that might make a lot of writers hang their heads and wonder how in the world they can break into the film industry when the dumbest ideas are taken first, and the best are left to sit out in the cold. Okay, there’s a little more to it than that, but the general idea is that Hollywood gives the green light to some of the most insipid ideas around and then decides to say that taking the chance is worth it since they have a good feeling about one idea or another. For an industry that’s apparently going woke, they don’t appear to realize how firmly their own blinders are attached. 

credit: Half-Baked

If Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer aren’t there, what’s the point? 

Like it or not, these two made up a good portion of the movie since while the characters of Scarface and Kenny were fun and added to the hilarity, Chappelle and Breuer were the ultimate potheads of the movie and made it a hilarious affair. The fact that they won’t be showing up is an instant downer for those that remember the original since Breuer’s perpetually stoned appearance and act were among the reasons why people watched the movie in the first place. If their parts can be replaced with any accuracy, then it might be okay, but it would be a definite surprise. 

If this is a cash grab, then it’s a desperate one. 

The mere idea that a sequel to Half-Baked could work without key characters is kind of laughable, and thus thinking that this is a cash grab is all kinds of ridiculous since the 1998 movie was best as a one-off. If this sequel does well enough to gain any attention, it will be a surprise and kind of a shock, especially since there’s a good chance that it won’t be allowed to be as effective as the first movie.