Clerks 2: Kevin Smith's Sequel is as Good as the First Movie

"One semester we took criminology for God's sake! Criminology! Who the fu** are we studying to be, Batman?" That beautiful quote was said in the summer movie Clerks 2. I saw this wonderful movie a total of 4 times in a row during the summer at the exquisite Pablo 9 theater.

Kevin Smith's sequel is as good as the first Clerks which was released back in 1994. Clerks 2 takes place 30 years later from where it leaves off in New Jersey. Some people who saw this movie were quite disgusted with its horrible taste, but in fact that is the opposite of what it really is. Kevin Smith's type of filming is unique as well as his framing and character selections, which I will mention on later.

In the first clerks, Kevin Smith was known to use the camera in a fixed position with a wide angle shot. It would simply show two people standing beside a convenience store doing something probably illegal. Now Clerks 2 on the other hand, is totally different. There is a scene where the two main characters, Dante Hicks & Randal Graves, are arguing outside there fast food joint, Moobys. Kevin Smith has placed the two face to face, and he has filmed them in a way called panning. He then takes the camera and films them in a 360 degree circle causing the background to be blurred and surreal effect. Not many filmmakers today use these kind of simple yet stunning ways to capture a scene.

Lighting also played a heavy effect in this movie. This one particular scene where Dante Hicks is driving around town, thinking about what he's just done with the woman he has loved, lighting made that scene pretty emotional. In the first Clerks, Kevin Smith used a lot of "low lit" scenes to make the viewer feel touched. This is the case again. The scene in Clerks 2, Dante is looking for the girl he's loved and just hurt. Lots of low light to show emphasis that this is a low point for him. The song in the background, 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins also made the scene so emotional.

The two main characters in Clerks 2 were, Dante Hicks & Randall Graves. They were both played excellently well by their actors, Brain O' Halloran & Jeff Anderson. Randal Graves is the type of person that really doesn't take crap from anyone. Dante Hicks is the kind of guy that just doesn't get a break much. With a combination like that, the two work very well together. For example, in the Jail scene, Dante is complaining about how everything that's gone wrong is Randal's fault. Randal then gives a speech about how its not his fault but Dante's own fault. You don't let other people control how you act and live your life, you do. That's basically what it translates to. Dante was being pressured to live as the typical husband with a nice wife and move to a nice house and eventually start a family. This was not him. Yet his girlfriend at the time thought it was.

In this scene, this is a real big eye opener for Dante. Live your life how you think it should be and what's best for you, and not for what's best for other people.

Clerks 2 is not just an obscene movie with some disgusting themes to it, but it captures everyday life. Real people just like you and I. In all of Kevin Smith's movies, you can see a message through it. His movies aren't just made to make people laugh, but they all have a meaning and make you think about things in a different way. My overall evaluation of this movie is a whopping, 5 out of 5 stars. Hey, it even got an 8 minute standing ovation at the Cannes film festival. See the movie, think about it, you can probably even relate to it.