Spinal Tap II: The End Continues - 4K UHD SteelBook

As I already reviewed the film on Blu-ray barely a week ago, here’s what I had to say about Spinal Tap II: The End Continues: 

How do you top one of the best comedies ever made? The trick is not to even try. With high expectations for a This Is Spinal Tap sequel, it’s best to just push forward as if it hasn’t even been forty years between films, which is what Rob Reiner and his stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer accomplish. As much as Spinal Tap II: The End Continues works to just show what these guys would be doing 40 years later, it’s also like watching four friends with a long history just hanging out and having a good time - in character, of course! 

Now, the plot, as with many Mocumentaries, is pretty straightforward. The legendary trio of Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls have not played together as Spinal Tap for more than fifteen years. After a bitter breakup for reasons unexplained, the three men have gone their separate ways. But because of a clause in their contract, they are forced to reform for one final reunion concert in New Orleans. With mere days to prepare, they must practice, set aside old differences, and somehow find a drummer who isn’t afraid of possibly dying on stage, all while veteran documentarian filmmaker Marty DiBergi once again captures the magic of Spinal Tap. 

Right out of the gate, I’ll just say I really had a great time with Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. I went in without much expectation. Because nothing could possibly measure up to the original film, I didn’t carry that yardstick into the theater. Instead, I just hoped it wouldn’t be a pathetic reshash (it wasn’t) and I just wanted a laugh (I did). It’s not perfect, but damn, it is pretty funny. The best assets for this film are these characters. Guest, McKean, and Shearer haven’t lost a beat in 40 years of playing these well-meaning, dimwitted musical legends. Reiner still has a knack for complete befuddlement as he interviews the guys, anyone associated with the band, and the fans.

They say comedy is hard, but Mocumentaries are especially difficult. You have to go beyond commitment. You have to go beyond deadpan. You have to reach this nexus of absolute authenticity where the characters we’re seeing are real human beings and the situations unfolding actually happened - no matter how absurd. Spinal Tap II: The Ending Continues almost gets there but a few pieces just don't quite fit the picture.

That said, so many pieces come together beautifully. Cameos with Paul McCartney and Elton John are a kick, and it’s fun to see what Bobbi Fleckman and Artie Fufkin are up to in their brief moments. But repetitive bits, like some ghost hunters invading the guys’ guest house, didn’t stick. Chris Addison as the new promoter almost works, but too often he plays his character like he’s in on the gag and delivering a punchline. And there are quite a few scenes with side characters who feel like they’re too in on the gag. They break that required authenticity for the comedy to truly land. So, not as good as the first, but still worthwhile all these years later.

This sequel was a damn good bit of fun. I was happy to catch it in theaters, happier to see so many people in the theater all enjoying it as well. And this film isn’t the end of Tap! We have their upcoming Stonehenge event to look forward to, with the concert film rolling out to IMAX theaters in 2026. Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls might not be the spritely youngsters they were 40 years ago, but they can still rock out with the best of them and keep us laughing for another 80 minutes.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues takes it to 11 on physical media from Decal and Bleecker Street with a much stronger single-disc 4K UHD SteelBook release than its 2160p counterpart. The film is pressed on a BD66 disc and housed in a slick SteelBook case with recessed textured features on the cover. The disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options. No digital copy is present. It should also be noted that the artwork doesn’t indicate the HDR grade (it’s Dolby Vision), and it labels the audio as Dolby Digital 5.1—it’s actually DTS-HD MA 5.1.

After giving solid marks to the 1080p Blu-ray, I wasn’t sure how much better (or even if) a 4K presentation of the Spinal Tap II: The End Continues could turn out. But leave it to a much more robust bitrate and a Dolby Vision HDR grade to make its point. Right up front, I’ll say this probably is a case of a film that doesn’t inherently need to be in 4K to be enjoyed, but it certainly benefits. Take all of the positives I said about the 1080p transfer in my Blu-ray review and click it up a couple of notches. On the scale of 4K discs, it wouldn’t click an 11, but a very respectable 8.5. Much of the film just isn’t very flashy visually, so, apart from the dummer auditions and the big grand finale concert, there aren’t many standout moments. However, even in its simplest moments, from the guys jamming during practices to scenes in Nigel’s Cheese & Guitar shop to the various one-on-one interviews, the improvement in overall detail is noticeable. Coupled with that, the Dolby Vision grade adds nuance to black levels, contrast, and color. Skin tones look a little more lifelike and healthy, while primaries enjoy a little more pop to them. Dark shadow scenes and the big concert certainly enjoy a more robust presence. So, yeah, maybe not a no-holds-barred best of the year transfer, but certainly better than the Blu-ray, and that should be enough.

On the audio side, we don't see any kind of upgrade there, so I'll let my previous complementary thoughts of the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track stand. 

On the audio front, we have a nice, strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. A lot of the film is made up of the sort of short interview clips we know and love for a Mockumentary, so a good portion of the mix mostly feels Front/Center channel-focused. There are some nice slides into surrounds, especially in busier scenes or whenever there are music bits on screen. The scenes of the guys practicing, interviewing new drummers, and the big finale concert are the most active and fully engaging sequences for this mix. That’s where this surround track earns its accolades and delivers the goods. Overall, for this type of comedy, the mix does its job well.

So, funny enough, Iin my review I lamented the lack of deleted scenes on the Blu-ray. Well, apparently, they were being saved for the 4K disc. 16 scenes in fact, running over 20 minutes. These are a little bit of a mishmash of fully deleted sequences and scene extensions. Likely nipped for time, there are some surprisingly funny bits I thought they could have left in without negatively impacting the film’s pace. In fact, for Chris Addison’s character Simon, some of his best material is actually here in the cut stuff! I mentioned in my review that I thought he seemed too in on delivering a punchline, but looking at the cut material, he had some really funny scenes that probably should have been left in. So it goes. Not the biggest and best set of extras ever, but it’s better than nothing, and thankfully, they’re worth watching.  

• Deleted Scenes: (UHD 21:06)
• Mobius Trip
• Blind Bubba
• Bamboolaya
• Stonehenge Bow Ties
• Oh, My Insides!
• Artie Fufkin’s Dancing Inflatables
• FlekmanFluence Agency
• They’re Not Ghosts!
• It’s Not a Random Bit of Spit
• Volcanic Eruption of a Rock & Roll Variety
• Look at How Cheery They Are!
• Sandwiches in His Trousers
• Shitcan Stonehenge 
• Paul McCartney 
• Spinal Tap Stayed Here

So, I don’t like to blindl buy discs I know nothing about. While I was sure that a 4K of Spinal Tap II: The End Continues would look good and I enjoyed the movie, I thought plunking out that much coin for a SteelBook release without knowing any tech specs was a risky move. But color me relieved. This 4K release from Decal and Bleecker Street is pretty much exactly what this movie needed. It might not be showy, but the Dolby Vision transfer is a notable improvement. No upgrade to the DTS 5.1 audio, but that’s okay - it’s a great mix all the same. The big draw here, I’d say, is the twenty minutes of deleted/extended scenes that are pretty damned funny. Who knows, there could be more extras down the line if/when we get a disc release of the Stonehenge concert film next year. But as someone who has enjoyed watching this film four times now, I’m calling this set Highly Recommended