Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in some incredible movies and is a pop culture icon, so it makes sense that other actors would want to be a part of any film series Arnie is involved in. But this sequel to an old Arnold Schwarzenegger movie should have stayed on paper.
Unfortunately for Swedish actor and Rocky IV star Dolph Lundgren — who has appeared in some of the best action movies and best sports movies in his own right — he couldn’t have known that when he signed on to it in 2016.
We’re referring to the ill-fated Kindergarten Cop 2, which failed to capitalize on the 90s success of the first. It was a different time, you guys. Just because we can make new movies doesn’t mean we should.
Lundren, who gained fame as Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, starred in the comedy sequel alongside Darla Taylor and Bill Bellamy. He played a stern FBI agent who went undercover as a kindergarten teacher. He was tasked with recovering stolen data but first had to learn to survive what the synopsis referred to as the “school’s liberal, politically correct environment.”
If there’s one thing moviegoers love, it’s mixing police presence in schools with leftism. And you can tell because it has a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Consequence of Sound‘s Randall Colburn wrote: “Kindergarten Cop 2 ultimately resonates as nothing more than a sub-par rendition of its predecessor. The script is bad, the direction is uninspired, the villain is boring, and Lundgren can’t navigate that space between comedy and action like Arnie can.”
Listen, this one may have missed its mark — even if it’s not as offensive as its ingredient list would have you believe — but Lundgren has had much better outings with Creed II, Hail, Caesar!, and The Expendables franchise.
Now, dig into the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies with the Terminator movies in order, and the Predator movies in order.