Though 2011’s Goon enjoyed next to no audiences during its theatrical run, I guess it found an audience on home TVs. How else to explain the existence of 2017’s Goon: Last of the Enforcers, a direct-to-video sequel?

In the first film, underachiever Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) finds his niche as a brawler for a minor league hockey team. He also meets and falls in love with Eva (Alison Pill).

Now married and with a baby on the way, too many concussions send Doug away from hockey and into a job as an insurance salesman. However, actions related to a strike bring Doug back to the Halifax Highlanders.

This doesn’t please Eva, but Doug gets into action again. Trained by former rival Ross “The Boss” Rhea (Liev Schreiber), Doug strives to revive his career and keep the Highlanders intact.

Essentially a 21st century update of 1977’s Slap Shot, the first Goon never excelled. Nonetheless, it offered an enjoyable little comedy, one highlighted by a surprisingly earnest turn from Scott.

He came to fame as the crass, obnoxious Stifler from the American Pie flicks, and he wound up typecast after that. Goon allowed Scott to show a different side, and it worked.

Last does nothing to expand that trend. While the film allows Scott to reprise the themes from the first Goon, he seems to be on cruise control, possibly because the movie itself lacks the heart and purpose of its predecessor.

Best-known as an actor, Jay Baruchel co-wrote the original film, and he does the same here. However, he also makes his directorial debut via Last.

Baruchel doesn’t seem up to the task, as he shows no feel for the gig. He wants to tell a story of maturity and growth but his heart doesn’t really appear to be in it.

While the first Goon brought personal evolution, it presented these moments in a light manner that charmed and mixed well with the more wacky comedy. Last takes itself more seriously, which means the occasional stabs at outrageous gags feel out of place.

It’s like Baruchel knows fans want the same kind of laughs from the prior flick so he attempts to throw them a bone, but he really prefers to tell a serious character tale. Baruchel keeps one foot in each camp, and this creates an erratic, unconvincing story.

Doug’s tale just doesn’t work, and a parallel narrative about Doug’s rival Anders Cain (Wyatt Russell) becomes an odd albatross. The movie hints at psychological complexity, as we see Anders as a mental mess desperate to please his dad, team owner Hyrum Cain (Callum Keith Rennie).

Early in the film, we learn that Anders’ violent bravado exists to mask these daddy issues, but until a less than convincing shift at the end, Last mainly prefers to present him as a cruel, mindless villain.

None of this works, as the various elements fail to integrate. Doug’s story bores most of the time, as it follows a predictable path, and the perplexing choices in terms of Anders’ narrative harm it.

I do appreciate that Last brings back the original cast, and it adds new talents like Russell, Rennie and TJ Miller. At the very least, I can’t blame this side of things for the movie’s failure.

Alas, the actors find themselves stuck in such a clunky mix of melodrama and out-of-place humor that they can’t make Last work. Although the first movie entertained, the sequel fizzles.

Footnote: bonus sequences show up during and after the end credits.

Goon: Last of the Enforcers appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a decent but erratic image.

Sharpness turned into one of those up and down elements, though most of the movie showed appealing accuracy. Nonetheless, interiors anywhere other than brightly-lit locations like locker rooms or arenas tended to appear mushier than expected.

No signs of moiré effects or jagged edges emerged, and edge haloes remained absent. I also saw no source flaws.

Colors leaned toward a light sense of amber and teal, though not to the gaudy extremes we find with so many modern movies. The hues never excelled, but they seemed competent.

Blacks were fairly dense, but shadows could seem a little heavy, as the aforementioned low-light shots occasionally felt less clear than I’d like. Ultimately, the film looked more than watchable but not great.

I also felt unimpressed by the oddly dull DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Last. In particular, the soundscape felt less than engaging.

Music filled the five speakers in a broad but ill-defined manner, as the score and songs didn’t show effective localization. Though these elements used the channels actively, the delineation felt bland.

Effects also failed to use the spectrum in a compelling manner, as even hockey games seemed lackluster. Those scenes spread out the action in a way that resembled the music: broad but not involving. A few scenes fared better than others – like one on a jet – but much of the soundfield seemed vague and unambitious.

Audio quality worked fine, at least, with speech that came across as natural and concise. Music showed reasonably good fidelity as well.

Effects could’ve boasted a bit more of a punch, but those components showed acceptable accuracy and impact. Ultimately, the bland soundscape turned this into a mediocre mix.

As we go to extras, we find an audio commentary from writer/director/actor Jay Baruchel and writer Jesse Chabot. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, editing, and related topics.

Dominated by the energetic Baruchel, this becomes a solid commentary. We get a strong look at a wide mix of subjects in this brisk, engaging chat.

Behind the Scenes runs 15 minutes, 34 seconds and includes remarks from Baruchel and actors Seann William Scott, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, Liev Schreiber, Marc-André Grondin, Karl Graboshas, George Tchortov, Wyatt Russell, Elisha Cuthbert, Richard Clarkin, and Trent Pardy. They discuss story/characters, cast and performances, the hockey and fight scenes, Baruchel’s work as director, and photography.

We also find plenty of footage from the shoot. “Scenes” becomes a moderately engaging production overview.

Back in 2011, Goon offered a funny and endearing update on the Slap Shot model. Goon: Last of the Enforcers takes itself much more seriously and fails in that attempt, as it becomes a muddled and inconsistent mess. The Blu-ray brings decent picture and audio along with a few bonus features. Last ends up as a disappointing sequel.