Zoolander 2 is missing many of the clever elements that made the first movie so wonderful
Ben Stiller has made a number of really wonderful comedies over the years. He was hilarious in Dodgeball, hit a home run in Something About Mary, was genius in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty and was very funny in Zoolander. After all this time and the huge fan following a sequel has been talked about for a while now and tomorrow it is finally coming out. This writer saw it this week and here is what he thinks of it.
When some of the world’s most beautiful people get assassinated with Derek Zoolander’s trademark “Blue Steel” look on their face, Interpol decides to recruit Derek (Ben Stiller) and his friend Hansel (Owen Wilson) into their ranks. The mission this time is find out who is killing all of these people and somehow put a stop to it. They both get a gig in Alexanya Atoz’s (Kristen Wiig) fashion show which is a huge break for them but they are treated as a laughing stock. Meanwhile Mugatu (Will Ferrell) who has been in prison for over 10 years because of the crimes he committed last time is set to be free soon and may be hungry for some revenge. Why is someone bent on killing all of the pretty people? And Will Derek and Hansel be able to help Interpol find out who is behind these crimes?
This was an okay sequel but there were a couple things wrong with it. Zoolander 2 has too many moments where it tries to hard to be funny and most of the time it just comes off as silly. The first film had its silly moments but this was balanced by the scenes that were actually clever and this movie is missing those key scenes. The plot is original but again doesn’t make much sense in the big picture and takes ideas from the first movie and pushes them to a limit that is too hard to believe for this writer. It was nice to see Will Ferrell come back to play Mugatu but sadly his performance was not as good this time around. The character was more of a comedy act than a villain that anyone could take seriously which was a true shame. There are a few surprises at the end that were alright but nothing that makes this a great comedy. Overall it was a sequel that made too much of an effort to bring laughs. If they had reigned it back a bit this could have been another great adventure with some dimwitted male models but instead it is just a movie only some fans may enjoy.
Zoolander 2 gets 5/10. This was not the worst comedy this writer has seen but it sure was not as good as he had hoped. With characters that are more ridiculous than concrete and a plot that doesn’t always make sense it will definitely not be for everyone. Those who enjoyed the last film may get a kick out of this one but for people who want to see a clever comedy that will have them laughing until it hurts this will not be the film for them. It had all the elements to be amazing but sadly misses the mark too often to be the sequel fans hoped to see.
If you are looking for a simple comedy this is a film you may enjoy. For those who like these actors you may get a kick out of this movie. But for the rest who want to see a comedy with real substance it is best to miss this one. Zoolander 2 comes out today.
Check out the Trailer Here: