I Love the '80s Strikes Back

"I Love the '80s Strikes Back" is literally more of the same shtick, and depending on what you're looking for, that might be a good thing. I mean, if it ain't broke, right? Some of the faces have been swapped out for new ones, and not all of them are as entertaining (less Juliette Lewis, please). Turns out Michael Ian Black is great in small doses, but Hal Sparks really steps up. I don't know what the hell was going on with Boy George, but Gilbert Gottfried was used to knee-slapping effect. Eh, it's all subjective.

Just as before, this is perfect for putting on in the background while you're ironing some pants or killing a guy. Bask in the ephemera.

7/10

I was a huge fan of "I Love the '80s". It was what got me into VH1. To me, it was the greatest mini-series that had ever aired, mainly thanks to Donal Logue, one of the most hilarious men ever. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when I heard VH1 was doing another "I Love..." series since "I Love the '70s", VH1's follow-up to "I Love the '80s" didn't exactly live up to my expectations. I didn't the magic of "I Love the '80s" could be replicated. Well, I was wrong. "I Love the '80s Stikes Back" turned out to be even better than its predecessor. It's twice as entertaining and twice as funny. As with the "I Love the '80s" and "I Love the '70s", the best part of the mini-series is Donal Logue. The man is simply the best. He can say absolutely anything and make it sound hysterical. Donal Logue isn't the only great commentator. Hal Sparks, Bryan Callen, Rich Eisen, Zach Galligan, Gilbert Gottfried, Stephan Jenkins, Chris Jericho, Joel Stein, and Rob Zombie also provide amusing commentary throughout the ten episodes.

"I Love the '80s Strikes Back" does have a few flaws. For some reason, the totally unfunny and absolutely dreadful Michael Ian Black seems to get more camera time than anyone else, making some segments extremely difficult to sit through. Also, some segments run too long and some run way too short. Some segments run up to five minutes in length while other seem to only be about thirty seconds. Even though these flaws bugged the hell out of me at times, I still found "I Love the '80s Strikes Back" to be the very best thing VH1 has ever aired. That said, I'm not necessarily looking forward to a third "I Love the '80s" edition, but then again, maybe the third time will be the charm.

I wish this show was more straight forward. I'd love a retrospect of the 80s where people are talking normal about various things.

Instead the show has too many bites from unfunny sitcom actors acting like spas and trying to be funny. And they're acting all cocky, like they're cool because they're living in 2003.

This was a great third installment of VH1's successful "I Love the --" series. Very amusing interviews with Michael Ian Black, Hal Sparks, Mo Rocca, Donal Logue, Juliette Lewis, and others. Very vulgar and crude for most of the 10 installments but great all the same. It seems sort of forced at times (were Snausages really that important to the eighties?) and some of the interviewees are NOT funny, but all in all quite enjoyable. Watch at your own risk!

9/10 -Kelly

This sequel miniseries, like the original, could have been better. They don't seem to spend much time on interesting topics. Most of the "celebrities" are no-names who just need the publicity. The worst is Thomas Ian Black. He is a moron and pervert. They give him way too much camera time to express his dimwitted views. Most of the other commentators are not much better. Juliette Lewis is terrible as well. She seems to be on drugs or something. Rich Eisen is pretty bad, too. Is he still working? The announcer is actually very good. His vocal expression is sarcastic without being silly. I watched each episode and always felt disappointed after each one. The 80's were a great decade and this series does not do it justice.