The climax of HDFriday After Next hinges on a nighttime chase scene where a shirtless Santa (Terry Crews in a breakout role) flees through the streets. In the current DVD version, it’s nearly impossible to follow the action because the black levels are crushed. A proper HD restoration would reveal the depth of the shadows, making the slapstick violence actually legible.
For Fans Of: How High, Don’t Be a Menace, The Wash, Bad Santa
Friday After Next is the weakest of the original Friday trilogy, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s a messy, uneven, but genuinely funny holiday stoner comedy that has earned cult status largely due to Katt Williams’s iconic performance and the Christmas setting. HDFriday After Next
If you go in expecting the raw, authentic energy of the 1995 original, you’ll be disappointed. If you want a dumb, quotable, feel-good comedy to watch with friends after a few drinks on Christmas Eve, you’ll have a great time.
Best Quote:
“What you got, a 32-inch waist? Man, them some 38s! You lyin’ your ass off!” – Money Mike The climax of HDFriday After Next hinges on
Final Call: Put it on while wrapping presents. Skip the crackhouse scenes. Laugh at Terry Crews and Katt Williams. Merry Christmas, and pimpin’ ain’t easy.
If Warner Bros. (which now owns New Line Cinema) listens to the fans, the ideal HDFriday After Next 4K Blu-ray or digital release would feature: If Warner Bros
Let’s be honest: half the comedy comes from Ice Cube’s deadpan, furious reactions. In low resolution, the subtle micro-expressions of exhaustion and annoyance are lost. In 4K, every vein on his forehead as he yells, “You ain’t got no job, man!” would be a work of art.
Director: Marcus Raboy
Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, John Witherspoon, Don “D.C.” Curry, Anna Maria Horsford, Katt Williams, Terry Crews
Genre: Stoner Comedy / Christmas / Hood Comedy
Release Date: November 22, 2002
Cube co-wrote and produced, but on-screen, he seems exhausted. Craig has devolved from a relatable everyman into a grumpy, reactive bystander. He barely cracks a smile, and his romance subplot (with a girl at the mall) has zero chemistry. He feels like a chaperone to Mike Epps’s chaos.