Zoolander 2

When the “world’s most beautiful people” are systematically assassinated with formerly famous male model Derek Zoolander’s trademark “Blue Steel” look on their face, Interpol recruits Derek and his friend Hansel McDonald to infiltrate a new and different world of high fashion in order to put a stop to it. Meanwhile, Derek’s rival Jacobim Mugatu is set free and is seeking revenge.

Being a fan of the original film, I went in expecting the same film in a different setting, and although there were some of the same jokes and clichés, I still came out of the theatre thoroughly enjoying what I had just viewed. Ben Stiller still knows how to put together a great comedy film full of big stars and boy did this film have the stars. However, although I enjoyed it, it still could have been better and there were some characters I felt that were just not needed.

Comparing the first film to this one, there are a lot of similarities. You have the same looks, the same idiotic characters, and even the same scenes just tweaked (the “freak gasoline accident” from the first is a “freak selfie stick” accident in this one, but it does have the same “Wake me up before you go-go” music and gelato instead of frappuccino), but it’s the introduction of new characters that were clearly trying too hard to be funny where the film lost a lot of its comedic charm.

Kristen Wiig as Alexanya Atox was the most annoying, over the top character that just wasn’t needed. Her accent, which was just a bunch of accents mushed together, was so irritating to listen to on the screen and her character wasn’t even funny, just there to fill up screentime. Penelope Cruz as Valentina, Derek’s new love interest, was ok, but you know she was there purely for her looks and not acting ability, which got very old, very fast.

By the end of the film the cameos just got over the top. Everywhere you looked there was a cameo; whether they were part of Hansel’s orgies, or just chilling on a roof asking the age of question of “who am I?”, around every corner there was a singer, actor, or fashion icon. It makes it seem like they ran out of a lot of script with this one and just wanted to fill in time by making everyone play celebrity bingo with the stars on screen.

If you’re a fan of the first you should be a fan of this one, as it has everything you would expect from a Zoolander sequel, but if you weren’t a fan of the first then save your time and your money because you most certainly won’t like this one and will need more than the three beers I recommended to get through this film. It’s not intelligent or clever, it’s silly for the sake of being silly. It’s not one that will be up for an Oscar anytime soon, but it is a joy to watch and one to enjoy with friends at home with pizza and of course beers.

3/5