Smith strikes back

Clerks II is not a sequel. Not to Harvey Weinstein, at least. Most follow-ups to hit films are made solely with the intention of drawing large crowds, usually alienating viewers by staying either too true or not true enough to the original movies. Cult filmmaker Kevin Smith, famous for his interconnected New Jersey-based films, succeeds in appeasing his rabid fans with the sequel to his 1994 black-and-white breakthrough.

The original Clerks, financed solely by Smith's maxed-out credit cards, is done right by its bigger-budget non-sequel. And the Clerks II DVD, which will be released Nov. 28, is loaded with extra features. Smith admits in one of Clerks II's three audio commentary tracks that he had hesitations about revisiting the universe of convenience store clerks Dante and Randal. The writer/director wonders if he could "capture lightening in a bottle twice." Instead of chasing after that same bolt 12 years later, Smith sought to continue rather than copy the success of his first hit.

Clerks II barely touches on its predecessor's famous one-liners ("I'm not even supposed to be here today," exclaims Dante) and is shot mostly in color, so it could pass for that non-sequel Weinstein hoped for.

The film opens at the familiar Quick Stop, as Dante (Brian O'Halloran) raises the metal shutters to reveal Wizard of Oz-like golden flames burning down the colorless storefront. We then see the duo working at replacement dead-end jobs, though they have matured, sort of.

Dante, a perpetual seeker of mediocrity, has gotten engaged and is working at Mooby's, a fast-food wonderland, with Randal (Jeff Anderson), who of course has not changed (and probably never will). Comic relief Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) have done a stint in rehab and loiter in front of Mooby's, just as they did at the Quick Stop. Notable additions to the View Askewniverse include Rosario Dawson as Becky, the Mooby's manager, and Trevor Fehrman as innocent coworker Elias. Both Ben Afleck and Jason Lee, regulars in Smith's films, make mustachioed cameos.

Smith, notorious for packing DVDs full of special features, doesn't skimp on Clerks II. The disc includes 37 minutes of deleted scenes, outtakes and a full-blown 90-minute documentary. Of the outtakes reel, How Movies are Made, Smith asks, "Who doesn't like a blooper?" though the 27 minutes of them will test that theory. The same can be said of the mostly unnecessary and unfunny deleted scenes and largely repetitive commentaries.

Still, these extras have a distinct purpose: capturing the camaraderie that developed among the cast, crew and inevitably the audience -- a loyalty communicated in the sprawling post-credit list of thousands of fans who signed up as friends of the Clerks II profile on MySpace. This kinship is what makes Smith's films so successful, and his latest installment will attract a new flock of devotees.