Taboo 2 / Taboo 3 (Vinegar Syndrome Blu-Ray) Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Standard Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Specs: Video Format: NTSC Format: Blu-ray/DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Blu-ray, 1 DVD

Closely following their Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of Kirdy Stevens' true golden age classic Taboo, Vinegar Syndrome has followed up with this Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of Taboo 2 and Taboo 3. They will continue the series in January of 2017 with their Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of Taboo 4. Both films on this release are direct sequels to Kirdy Stevens' original Taboo and of the two films, Taboo 2 is, by far, the better of the two. Overall, it was a good idea on Vinegar Syndrome's part to put the two films together on one release as Taboo 2 is well worth seeing and will stand to multiple viewings whereas Taboo 3 is not that good of a film and wouldn't be worth picking up on its own.

Vinegar Syndrome has included three extras on the release, only one of which relates to Taboo 2 and the other two relating to Taboo 3. The theatrical trailer for Taboo 2 is included on the release. There is the 20-minute feature “An Interview With Blake Palmer” and Kay Parker's marked-up script for Taboo 3 that are also on the disc.

You can jump to the review of Taboo 2 or Taboo 3 or just keep reading to read all of them.

After a short recap of the original Taboo, Taboo 2 opens to the story of the McBride family. The story mostly centers around Greg McBride Jr. (Kevin James), or Junior for short, who is the son of Greg (Eric Edwards) and Joyce (Honey Wilder) McBride. Junior is a horndog who, despite dating MaryLou (Tammy), keeps making sexual advances toward his sister Sherry (Dorothy LeMay).

Taboo 2 comes across as more tawdry than the original Taboo, and not always in a good way. The script is not as well done this time around but, despite issues, Taboo 2 is still a solid adult film. The first Taboo presented the incestuous portions as forbidden, whereas, this film seems to exist more just to create incestuous situations.

A good cast that puts in some great performances in both the non-sexual portions of the film and the sexual portions of the film save Taboo 2 from the problems that exist in the story. Kirdy Stevens' skill at filmmaking helps the film a lot too, making Taboo 2 look nice in its presentation and locations that are used. Taboo 2 never comes across as a quickly made adult film but instead looks like time and effort went into creating the film.

Taboo 2 isn't Taboo, but then again, it would be hard for any film to live up to the original Taboo film. The plot is mediocre but the cast puts in some sizzling sexual performances that are impossible to hate and also does a great job with the non-sexual portions of the film. Despite the film's shortcomings, it is impossible not to recommend Taboo 2 to fans of feature adult films.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with their release of Taboo 2. Taboo 2 is presented on this release on both Blu-ray and DVD, with the same content on both discs. Taboo 2 was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome used 35mm vault elements 2K scanned to master this release. Taboo 2 is presented in anamorphic widescreen in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio in 1080p on the Blu-ray and 480p on the DVD. The image quality looks good here, although the Taboo 2 print used had the most damage I have seen yet on a Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray. The print used was a bit beat up and damaged in places and the image contains grain, artifacts, print damage, and some jumps. The colors in the film look absolutely beautiful. Nonetheless, this release of Taboo 2 is the best that has been released by far and likely ever.

Taboo 2 is presented on the Blu-ray with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 monaural audio track and on the DVD with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The audio track contains what sounds like dirt and damage in a couple of spots; none of which are detracting from the film. The dialog spoken in the film is clear and easy to understand.

Taboo was one of the all-time great adult feature films and Taboo 2 was a worthy successor. Taboo 3 indicates all the signs that Kirdy Stevens' Taboo series should have stopped after Taboo 2 and Taboo 3 should never have been made. Not only does Taboo 3 dip into the common clichés of the 80s adult movie productions but it lacks any true continuity with the earlier entries in the series.

The characters backstories have been rewritten for this entry in the Taboo series. At first, it would appear to the viewer that Taboo 3 takes place prior to Taboo 2 because Barbara Scott (Kay Parker), in the beginning of the film is worried about where Paul went, who we all know from Taboo 2 is living with his father now. However, very quickly the viewer is informed this does take place after Taboo 2 because when we are introduced to Joyce McBride (Honey Wilder) we find that she is now divorced from Greg from Taboo 2.

In this entry in the series, Jimmy Scott (Jerry Butler), Paul's not so younger brother, is managing a band called Affair and keeps trying to make sexual advances on his mother Barbara, who keeps refusing the advances. At the same time, Barbara's friend Joyce is carrying on a relationship with her son Brian (Blake Palmer).

Right off, those familiar with the series will be noticing that Taboo 3 is very problematic as far as the story goes. Jimmy Scott and Brian McBride have never been heard of until now in the series. When added to the previously mentioned backstory issues, the story for Taboo 3 comes across as just a quickly churned out script to just capitalize off the series name. Then, to add insult to injury, there is the way too common for the time period band cliché, which takes up a good portion of the film. For a period of the 80s, bands and their groupies became the go-to for being able to introduce sex scene after sex scene, and, sadly, Taboo 3 is no exception.

The acting is okay in this film, some of the cast does a much better job with their nonsexual material than others. Jerry Butler has at least a familial resemblance to Mike Ranger, who played Paul, his brother, in Taboo. So at least the casting was good in regards to this character, even if he was just a write-in for this entry. Blake Palmer, however, bears no familial resemblance to Kevin James, who played Junior ´ his supposed brother.

As far as the sex scenes go, they are nowhere near as erotic as the sex scenes that we received in Taboo and Taboo 2. This isn't the fault of the cast, who gives their scenes good sexual energy. Part of what made the scenes in the first two films so hot was the character development in the films. In Taboo 3 you don't ever get the sense of character development and that hurts the sex scenes immensely. In addition, the film continues the formula from the first two films of sticking in an orgy. At this point, this seems like it is more of a forced requirement for the series than anything organic to the film itself.

Like the first two films, Kirdy Stevens has done a good job with the photography and editing so that the film looks good. Some of the sets and locations come across as cheaper looking than the first two films, but Stevens did a good job with the available budget. As a result, Taboo 3 looks a lot nicer than a lot of its counterparts from the same period.

Overall, Taboo 3 is a quick descent for the series from extremely good to poor due to poorly developed characters, adult film clichés, and a lack of continuity with the past entries in the series. Even if one was to ignore Taboo 2, Taboo 3 is nowhere in the same league as the first one, or the second one, are. I expect fans of the series to want to see this, just because it is part of the series, but there isn't much for replay value here.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with their release of Taboo 3. This release is a Blu-ray and DVD, both of which contain the same content. Taboo 3 was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome has used 35mm vault elements that were 2K scanned for this release. Taboo 3 is presented in anamorphic widescreen in the 1.78 aspect ratio in 1080p on the Blu-ray and 480p on the DVD. The image contains grain, artifacts, and print damage. There is one point where there are a few flickers on the very right side of the screen. All-in-all, Taboo 3 looks absolutely beautiful on this release.

Taboo 3 is presented on the Blu-ray with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 monaural audio track and on the DVD with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The film sounds absolutely beautiful on this release with no discernible issues whatsoever.

Taboo 2, while not as good as Kirdy Stevens' original Taboo, is an enjoyable feature adult film. The cast does an amazing job with their sex scenes and do a great job with the non-sexual scenes. Taboo 3, on the other hand, is a massive let down with a poor story that does little to connect with the first two films and seems like just an attempt to cash in on the Taboo name. Most viewers likely won't have any interest seeing the film more than once. Taboo 2 makes this release worth picking up. Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with this release. Taboo 2 has some issues with the video and audio but is still the best release of Taboo 2 on the market and Taboo 3 looks absolutely stunning.

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