`BLUES BROTHERS 2000' OOZES SOUL, NOT LAUGHS.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic

``Blues Brothers 2000'' opens with the briefest of snippets from the original film - it barely even registers - and then, wham, it's 18 years later and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) is being released from prison. Elwood stands in front of the penitentiary, and day turns into night and night turns into day and Elwood's still standing there, black suit, black hat, black sunglasses, waiting for Jake.

It's an inspired bit of minimalism set to a howling blues song by Taj Majal. Unfortunately, the rest of ``Blues Brothers 2000'' isn't nearly as funny or original. It is as if the filmmakers were still waiting for Jake, too.

``Blues Brothers 2000'' is one of the unlikeliest sequels to come down the pike in film history. Made nearly two decades after the original by a star (Aykroyd) and a director (John Landis) known for their cinematic stink bombs, this movie also lacks one of the primary ingredients that made the original a success - John Belushi, who played Jake. It's like making ``Lost World'' without the T. rex. Foolhardy.

Despite all that, the movie isn't half-bad, which isn't to say that it's half-good either. ``Blues Brothers 2000'' is filled with lame jokes and hundreds of car crashes, but it also has some great music, culminating with an all-star blues jam worthy of its own film someday.

The film really doesn't have much of a plot. Of course, neither did the original, which was mostly just an extended ``Saturday Night Live'' skit with lots of explosions and cool blues and soul musicians.

Now, Elwood has a new ``mission from God.'' He wants to reorganize the Blues Brothers Band and compete at Queen Mousette's Battle of the Bands in Louisiana. Elwood locates all the old musical hired hands and adds a bartender played by John Goodman and a cute 10-year-old orphan to help him with the singing duties.

Naturally, the reconstituted Blues Brothers soon run afoul of the law (and the Russian mafia!), resulting in car chases aplenty. There's one scene that destroys more than 100 police cars, which I would imagine would be some sort of record. The bit actually works because of its excess. The cars just keep piling on, one after another from every inconceivable angle, for two minutes. It's one of the few good laughs in the movie.

Mostly, ``Blues Brothers 2000'' seems tired. It lumbers from scene to scene, trading in on its audiences' affection for the original film. In fact, if you haven't seen ``The Blues Brothers,'' a lot of the jokes here will be lost on you. Then again, the same thing can be said if you did see the original.

What few new things they have - the adorable kid in his little black suit, an obvious act of desperation - don't make much of an impression. Goodman's talents are wasted. It's almost as if Landis and Aykroyd didn't want to seem like they were recruiting someone to replace Belushi. Thus, Goodman is almost a nonentity.

The film does have several fun musical sequences, including a closing number featuring B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Joshua Redman and Steve Winwood, among others.

Aretha Franklin is also back, singing ``Respect'' this time instead of ``Think,'' and Wilson Pickett, Jonny Lang and Eddie Floyd belt out ``634-5789'' about a phone sex operation. (Hey, this is a Landis film. The requisite strip-club scene is here, too.)

Ultimately, ``Blues Brothers 2000'' almost bludgeons you into liking it. Almost. Too bad Aykroyd and Landis didn't spend at least a little of the past 18 years working on a decent script that contained a few more laughs. Then we could have had a movie that would have been both funny and toe-tapping.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Blues Brothers 2000'' (PG-13; exotic dancing and some language).

The stars: Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman.

Behind the scenes: Directed by John Landis. Written and directed by Landis and Dan Aykroyd.

Running time: Two hours, four minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two and One Half Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Dan Aykroyd, left, J. Evan Bonifant and John Goodman do their thing in ``Blues Brothers 2000.''