The Sandlot 2

The Sandlot 2
File:Sandlot2Cover.jpg
Directed by	David M. Evans
Written by	David M. Evans Robert Gunter
Produced by	David Bixler Vicki Sotheran
Starring	Max Lloyd-Jones Neilen Benvegnu James Willson James Earl Jones Cole Evan Weiss Greg Germann
Music by	Laura Karpman
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	May 3, 2005
Running time	97 minutes
Language	English

The Sandlot 2 is a direct-to-DVD 2005 sequel to The Sandlot.

Plot

The movie is set in 1972, 10 years after the events of The Sandlot. New kids have moved into the neighborhood of San Fernando Valley in Southern California, and have started playing baseball in the sandlot. The previous kids have all grown and gone away. A young boy named Johnny Smalls, the younger brother of Scott Smalls (the first film's protagonist), has heard the legend of "The Great Fear owned by Mr. Mertle, who lives behind the sandlot. David Durango (Max-Lloyd Jones) is the leader of the boys. Then, three girls join the team, one of them named is Hayley Goodfairer (Samantha Burton).

One day, when the kids' ball goes over the junk wall of Mr. Mertle's house, they try to retrieve it. But Johnnie makes them stop, and tells them the story of "The Great Fear" How it used to be a junkyard dog, eating or killing others who trespassed into the junkyard. There was a boy who loved the comic book hero named Rapid Rocket, and would run fast like him. On his first day of school, he went past Mr. Mertle's house (who forgot to lock the back gate), and The Great Fear got out and chased the boy. It was unknown what happened to him after he was cornered by "The Great Fear". Soon afterward, a wall made of assorted junk was built, and he was ordered by the officials to keep the dog locked up forever. Ever since, if anything went over the fence, it would always come out.

The main conflict comes when the space rocket for the future of NASA and the United States built by Hayley's father is launched, because Hayley's dad said he and Johnny were going to launch it but Hayley's dad had to go on a trip. When Johnny launches the rocked it goes over Mr. Mertles's wall. The kids try many things to get it back, including hiring the boy called "The Retriever" (Griffin Reilly Evans), but he fails, and decides to retire. Then, just like Benny Rodriguez from the first movie David must go over the wall to retrieve the rocket. Once he retrieves it the dog chases him all over town. When David defeats the dog they find out its name is Goliath. After that the kids can be seen running to the sandlot because Goliath got away and realize that he only wanted to get out to see his girlfriend dog, who was also behind a fence. As all the kids are leaving Hayley and David share their first kiss with each other. And Mr. Mertle decides to not build a new fence because he is tired of kids thinking he is a mean old man.

In the final moments of the movie the narrator tells what happened to all the sandlot kids. Mac joined the army after high school, was wounded in the Gulf War, won a Purple Heart and joined the Peace Corps. Saul and Sammy started a record company for hip hop music and called it Def Jam Records. Sammy used the money he made from Def Jam to start a gum company call Kissing Booth Bubblegum. Penny and Jenny raised three kids with their families. Tarquell was abducted by aliens in 1984 and never seen again. David and Hayley went all the way through High School together then went their separate ways. Ten years after college they met again, David being too nervous to talk so Hayley spoke for him by saying "You're supposed to say will you marry me?" and he did. Hayley became a supermodel and a pitcher for the United States softball team and won two gold medals.

Similarities to The Sandlot

The movie, while a true sequel in the sense that it references the first film and takes place later, is little more than a re-telling in terms of content. Nearly every plot point is the same between The Sandlot 2 and its predecessor. The differences include the item sent over the fence (now a rocket instead of an autographed ball), girls on the team, and the additional plot point of David's secret identity. This film can be seen as an attempt to cash in on the cult following of The Sandlot, and introducing the same story to a new generation.

This fashion of retelling a story with different characters in a direct-to-video sequel has been done before, in sequels such as The Skulls II and Cruel Intentions 2.

See also

• The Sandlot
• The Sandlot: Heading Home

External links

• The Sandlot 2 at IMDb
• The Sandlot 2 at Rotten Tomatoes