Although 1982’s Porky’s became a big hit, it certainly won no prizes for wit or cleverness. 1983’s sequel - Porky’s II: The Next Day - achieves the almost-unimaginable feat of being worse than the original. Porky’s was a bad film, but Next is actually less witty and creative. While the first one had little going for it, the sequel is nothing more than a sanctimonious retread.

Pinned to the raunchy sex gags of Porky’s was that thin “coming of age” storyline in which our characters learned to accept those who are different and to stand up for themselves. As the title implies, P II takes place the day after the gang’s climactic activities that concluded the first film. However, the level of maturity and sophistication displayed by the participants seems awfully high considering what we saw in the first movie; they apparently grew an awful lot in that one evening.

We’re supposed to believe that some boys who gleefully tossed about anti-Semitic and racist phrases the prior day now a) rush to the side of any oppressed peoples, and b) eagerly stand up for free speech when their performance of Shakespeare is threatened by narrow-minded Bible-thumpers.

Puh-leeze! For one, it seems odd that the prior film had no reference to any non-sports extracurricular interests held by any of the characters. Now we’re supposed to accept them as budding thespians with a serious interest in the bard? This framework lets them battle not just the religious right - a popular bogeyman in the mid-Eighties - but they also exact revenge upon a sleazy politician and the KKK!

It’s all patently absurd, of course, especially in regard to the ridiculously elaborate methods used to obtain the “just desserts”. The first film was lame, but at least the characters showed some reference to the real world; they were somewhat acceptable as crass, crude representatives of the age. These dorks have little to do with any of that, and the growth shown seems insanely unrealistic considering what we saw in Porky’s.

To add to the problem, all of the characters seem to blend into one. The story’s emphasis is on the situations and the attempts at retribution and it leaves little room for the various participants. As such, none stand out in any way, and they all serve virtually the same function. There’s nothing to distinguish between them.

God, all of this is actually making me look back fondly on Porky’s! Well, for all of that film’s flaws - and it includes many - it at least knew what it wanted to be and it achieved its goals within that spectrum. It’s dopey and unfunny, but it maintained some level of internal consistency.

Porky’s II, on the other hand, wants to be something else, but it’s not quite sure what. It also wants to have its cake and eat it too, but in a limited way. As such, we get some additional sex-related jokes, though these seem to be presented without the gusto found in the first film. P II provides these segments because it has to, not because it wants to do so.

Worse yet, we get very little female nudity! At least the first movie offered some sexy shots, while all we find here are a few takes of a stripper used in a practical joke; she’s topless, but that’s it. However, Next does have full-frontal nudity. I won’t reveal who’s involved, as it could be considered a spoiler, but take my word for it: the sight is not pretty. I speak not just for heterosexual males but for gay men and straight women as well. The naked men are not folks you want to see in that state.

That was the last straw for me. Porky’s II not only omits solid female skin, but it adds some of the most unpleasant male nudity ever viewed on film. This unfortunate choice lifted Next from the ranks of “crummy movie” to “abomination before God”. Watch it at your own risk - to your soul!

Porky’s II: The Next Day appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, single-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. This was a serviceable presentation.

Sharpness seemed pretty good, with only a few signs of softness on display. Most of the film showed pretty decent clarity and delineation. Some shimmering popped up here due to thin stripes on shirts, but jagged edges and edge enhancement weren’t problematic. In terms of print flaws, I witnessed moderate levels of grain, grit and speckles, but these weren’t heavy.

Colors looked nicely bright and vivid. The Florida setting showed off the hues to good advantage, and they consistently appeared fairly vibrant and solid. Black levels came across as marginally deeper and more intense, and shadow detail was slightly clearer, but as a whole, the two images compared closely. Porky’s II presented a good picture dragged down mainly due to a mix of source flaws.

In regard to the film’s Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtrack, the sequel demonstrated a fairly decent soundfield. Music spread decently across the forward speakers, and some mild ambiance also emanated from the sides. The activity levels remained fairly low, but the track nonetheless seemed acceptably engaging for this kind of material. In this track, the surrounds reinforced this material adequately and appeared less forced; they added minor atmosphere and didn’t become a distraction.

Audio quality was a little better than what we heard in Porky’s but it didn’t improve greatly. Speech still seemed rough, and sibilance played a greater role; many of the characters sounded as though they lisped, and intelligibility could be moderately weak at times. However, dialogue integrated with action much more effectively, so even though it still offered relatively poor quality, it appeared more natural.

Effects and music presented similar qualities. The former sounded thin and lacked depth, while the latter was fairly thin and without much dynamic range. Actually, the songs offered a modicum of bass at times; this element wasn’t strong, to say the least, but it seemed decent after the tinny affair heard during Porky’s. Ultimately, the soundtrack remained fairly drab, but at least it earned a “C”, as it seemed relatively average for a movie of the era.

How did the picture and audio of this 2007 Porky’s II DVD compare to those of the 2001 double feature release? Both were identical – literally. This was exactly the same platter presented six years ago; it’s simply been separated from its mate.

Only a pair of trailers appear here. We get ads for Porky’s II as well as Revenge of the Nerds II.

There’ve been worse sequels than Porky’s II: The Next Day, and I can’t call this one an enormous decline in quality when compared to its predecessor. After all, Porky’s was terrible in its own right. Nonetheless, this is a slapdash, nonsensical flick that lacks any reason to exist other than to make money.

Note that this version of Porky’s II: The Next Day comes only as part of the three-disc “Porky’s: The Ultimate Collection”. That set includes a special edition of Porky’s and the DVD debut of Porky’s Revenge. The Porky’s SE can be purchased on its own, but the two sequels appear exclusively in this package. As noted earlier, however, this transfer of Porky’s II exactly duplicates the one that previously came with the now out of print “double feature” disc from 2001.

To rate this film visit the original review of PORKY's / PORKY'S II: DOUBLE FEATURE