Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Finally released from prison, Elwood Blues is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital. Hitting the road to re-unite the band and win the big prize at the New Orleans Battle of the Bands, Elwood is pursued cross-country by the cops.
Blues Brothers 2000 is a largely unnecessary sequel that retreads the original's formula without the magic. The plot is a near carbon copy of the 1980 film — reassemble the band, evade police, play for a good cause — but lacks the anarchic energy and iconic chemistry that made the original special. John Goodman and J. Evan Bonifant can't replace the Belushi-Aykroyd dynamic. Cinematography is competent and occasionally lively during the musical numbers, which remain the film's genuine highlight with an impressive roster of blues legends. The Battle of the Bands finale delivers some musical joy but feels hollow dramatically. Overall a formulaic retread that coasts on nostalgia.