Writer John Hughes and director Chris Columbus go back to the well, very quickly, for this derivative sequel/remake. Strike while the swinging iron's hot, I suppose, and while the child star can still pass for a nine-year-old. It's basically the first film all over again, with a few negligible tweaks to satisfy convention, less emphasis on the errant family (Catherine O'Hara is now officially the worst mother in America, no need to dwell on it) and a renewed sense of brutality in all the scoundrel-punishing booby traps. Rather than scarred for life, just about every one of these pitfalls would leave poor Harry and Marv pushing daisies. It's a weird level-up for a family movie, downright mean-spirited at times, but that particular brand of action is saved for the closing twenty minutes and almost entirely self-contained.

The rest of the running time is rehash central, with repeat gags and plot points played over a different backdrop, plus the added bonus of Tim Curry and Rob Schneider as a pair of bumbling, high-class hotel clerks. In the end, Home Alone 2 is nothing magical, just a transparent sequel with enough influential industry minds behind it to avoid being sent straight to VHS.