I surprised many people by positively reviewing predecessor New Kids Turbo in 2011. After having read sympathetic reviews on successor New Kids Nitro on the IMDb website and in some papers, I sat fully prepared to enjoy myself. Alas, it proved a bitter disappointment. I cannot pinpoint any scene that did let me laugh, not even one yielding a momentary smile. Could it be that the surprise of the previous movie has worn out?
In the beginning there was a promising scene, where a young man confronts the five main characters with a long list of negative opinions about New Kids Turbo. Of course, his life ends prematurely after that, due to a clumsy policeman joining the gathering. This premature death is not a problem for me, because such a fate is fully in line with how this film usually treats adversaries as well as innocent bystanders.
From the reviews that I had read beforehand, I learned of two story lines that would eventually come together. Emphasis on "eventually", since the film makers took their time to let it develop at a very slow pace. The merger of the two story lines took off not until halfway the movie. And even then, it felt very artificial and far-fetched, offering no reason to be curious how all this would end.
Three civil servants we recognized from their previous appearance in New Kids Turbo, where they fruitlessly tried to stop the anti-taxation disease spreading under the citizens, made their appearance here as well in a similar role. Alas, they contributed little to nothing. Surely a missed chance to liven up the story with a healthy dose of satire, the central government in The Hague being an inexhaustible target for such fun.
While having none of the anticipated laughs, you get to watch for faults in the story. There were plenty of those, but I'll mention only two examples. Firstly, we see a car race end half way when someone throws a home made spiked tire on the street, suddenly stopping one of the competitors. Nevertheless, a few minutes later, both cars take off again as if nothing got in their way. Secondly, there is a crowd of zombies assembled around a touring-car, stalking our five main characters on top of the bus. For some reason or other, the zombies turn into a submissive crowd, following them all around without doing further harm to anyone. Normally I would not make a fine point of such mistakes, but if there is nothing else to comment on, what other choice does a reviewer have?
And while we are at it, complaining about details, I observed two rather tasteless scenes near the end of the film. Firstly, the way the mother was "buried" was disrespectful to say the least. It was very different from what we could expect, given the trouble taken by traveling all the way from Brabant to Friesland in an attempt to rescue her. Secondly, carrying away the zombies in a train wagon, resembled a bit too much to what we remember from WWII movies. I don't think I am alone in this.
All in all, I was disappointed, left behind with the only conclusion that the sequel missed several chances to upgrade their act, and to reach a higher level. The original casting, the crude language and the overall approach within their first movie, seems to have worn out. I observed a similar attitude among the rest of the audience, who underwent it all stoically and without many spontaneous reactions. My only positive comment is that they maintained the showing of bloopers next to the final credits (both taking half the screen). I found it a nice touch with the previous film, and it still is.
