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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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“Punk’s Dead” Will Appeal to Fans of “SLC Punk!” But Falls Into the Sequel Trap

Utah’s punk population enjoyed four simultaneous screenings of “Punk’s Dead,” the sequel to the 1998 cult hit “SLC Punk!” on Thursday Night.

But how does “Dead” compare to the original?

Answer: Pretty damn well, by bringing back most of the original cast, a few new characters and a soundtrack even better than the original.

We start out with a narration with none other than “Heroin” Bob ( “[who] is still dead, so f–k you!”) introducing us to his son Ross (Ben Schnetzer), who is getting beat up in the middle of a mosh pit at a concert. From there the film details Ross’ day with friends Clash and Penny (including adventures such as his first time getting drunk and eating magic mushrooms), while also following his questions on the meaning of his life. Unlike his father, Ross is more of a goth and does not fit into the punk subculture. Rather than rebelling against the system, he believes death is the most wonderful thing there is in life.

Surprisingly, the movie’s fault is not so much in the plot, but in the editing of the film. Random audio drop-outs and unsynchronized dialogue distract, as well as the outdated crossfade transitions used between scenes. Perhaps this falls back to the punk ideology that entertainment isn’t supposed to be incredibly high quality.

Additionally, the film fall short in the way so many sequels have before. The first film gave a unique introduction to both those who were and weren’t familiar with the local punk scene. “Punk’s Dead” deals with issues such as the meaning of life and learning to let go, just as the first one did. But whereas “SLC Punk!” had characters philosophizing on the answers to those questions, this film sort of just lets the answer come without much of a fuss.

Some of the references to the original feel more like a recycling of the original scenes rather than clever and interesting allusions. While it was funny seeing Ross try ‘shrooms for the first time and thinking deep, it doesn’t compare to Sean from the first film absorbing 100 hits of acid. Where the film excels most with nostalgia is having Bob narrate the film when needed. Audience members were laughing and cheering all throughout his monologues and rants. His line, “I think every movie should have a smoking break,” was definitely the most popular of the night.

So while this sequel will not have as much of an impact as the first (and really, how could it?), it is still a great follow-up to one of the greatest cult films ever. A Q&A was held after the film and someone asked if a third film would be released. Director James Merendino said a script is already written and he implied that the film would follow up with Stevo, if he can get the funding for it.

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