Sylvester Stallone has given the Hollywood biosphere enough entertainment and award-worthy critically acclaimed productions over the past half a century for the audience to be obsessed with. But despite such brilliant filmography keeping him at the top of his game, it seems as though one particular film from the early 90s has been greenlit for a sequel. The news, taking many by surprise, has generated a healthy amount of debate and mixed reactions online.
However, one epic response manages to take the cake so far when an AI-generated parody trailer seamlessly merged Stallone and Jim Carrey and their performances in Cliffhanger and Ace Ventura to reproduce comedic gold.
Sylvester Stallone in Raccoon Mountain For Cliffhanger 2?
The 1993 film, Cliffhanger, focused on Gabe Walker, an expert rock climber played by Sylvester Stallone, who failed to save his best friend’s girlfriend from falling to her death. The tragedy haunts him and ultimately sends him down an unlikely path. The film was nominated for 3 Oscars and 4 Razzie Awards. A sequel was then officially announced by Ric Roman Waugh who claimed Cliffhanger 2 would essentially follow a similar plot, only 30-odd years later as it carries the legacy forward into the future by introducing Gabe Walker’s daughter as they step out into the Alps together.
However, the peak audience excitement has captured the eccentricity of this sequel in all its ridiculous aspects. In a hilarious AI-generated video post, Stallone’s face has been completely melded with Jim Carrey’s iconic speech pattern and facial idiosyncrasies, topped off with Carrey’s inimitable, over-the-top hairstyle from the Ace Ventura films, as the Rocky actor dramatically launches a one-man rescue operation to save a raccoon in the “Raccoon Mountains.” As the raccoon falls to its death (just as Sarah in the original film did), the parody cuts to black with Stallone’s cry mixed with the raccoon’s screams still echoing in the background.
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While one viewer commented, “It’s more traumatizing than the real Cliffhanger,” others were more optimistic in their approach saying, “This is cinematic gold,” and that the parody trailer was “better than the last 10 Marvel movies.” All that remains now is an official nod of acknowledgment from Sly Stallone himself.
The Criticism Surrounding Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger 2
For anyone interested in a Sylvester Stallone film, the go-to recommendation for beginners aged 8 to 80 would be Rocky. For those interested in his later works, especially sequels, the recommendations would then be Creed and a much-needed sequel to Demolition Man. Nowhere in these categories is included an entirely unnecessary, unasked-for, and pointless sequel to Cliffhanger that not only has an aged Stallone returning to the screens but follows more or less the same plot with no room for growth or innovation.
Cliffhanger 2 would essentially be like Speed 2, if only a bit better than the Sandra Bullock film due to the latter’s nonsensical choice of transport in the film. At least with Cliffhanger 2, director Ric Roman Waugh promises to make the sequel worth the audience’s time by transporting the movie’s plot to the scenic landscape of the Italian Alps.
In spite of the ridiculous odds, there does exist a rational logic behind the repetition of the events as Cliffhanger 2 could serve as closure to Gabe Walker’s tragic repercussions suffered in the aftermath of Sarah’s death. As the aged Walker now begins a journey with his similarly expert rock-climber daughter, the plot could essentially act as a redemptive arc for him as he is forced to face his fears after being thrown into a similar life or death situation.
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