Review of Zoolander 2 (2016) by Brendan S — 23 Feb 2016

Zoolander 2 - Somewhat of a 'has-been'.

Zoolander 2 opens with how things went literally seconds after the first movie ends in a news reel highlight, which is basically sets up most of the movie for what it is - a flashback down memory lane. Don't get me wrong, Zoolander had it's moments when it made me laugh, but it was infrequent. Zoolander 2 borrows a lot from it's predecessor, but falls flat to a lot of dull moments, too many elements, but excelled in some physical comedy.

For something that could've put a fresh spin on things, this film was filled with callbacks, nostalgia, and references to the first film. Such lines as "Hansel's so hot right now," reappearances of some characters that some can't be revealed here due to spoilers, and to structure of the film. In terms of structure it came as no surprise that some female lead enlists the help of Derek Zoolander to take down Magatu in which he is constructing an evil plan in which, spoiler alert, is stopped by a single look. They could've gone with a different villain since a lot of people seem to despise Derek Zoolander because of his cluelessness, idiotic tendencies, or whatever they despise him for.

While the previous films were neutral with appearances, this film was overloaded with him where it took on too many characters like a Spiderman film. Celebrity appearances and cameos don't make a movie, especially if those cameos just seem like a throw in to let the audience know that this movie is current with pop culture. Speaking of celebrities, some make an appearance in a subplot of Hansel. I thought this subplot was unneeded and dragged the film. I know that you are trying to show that each Hansel and Derek are changing to fit in with the current culture, I just think there should've been a different way of executing it.

I am a fan of ridiculous comedy such as the Scary Movie franchise, in which Zoolander 2 excels in it. Such examples include how Magatu 'outwits' Derek in prison and how an innocent car ride turns tragic in the blink of the eye and how the characters just keep going on throughout it. Another example includes how Magatu tries to embrace Kristen Wiig's character through the contraption on her face.

Throughout the film there are points that the jokes just come off as too stale. To me, there were a lot of moments where the executions of a joke came off as awkward and boring. Granted, the film has many awkward scenes made for a laugh, it's just the execution didn't hit me the way it should've at the moment.

In conclusion, Zoolander 2 suffers from some over reliance on nostalgia, overburden of characters, but was humorous in some ridiculously comedic moments. Next time, if there is one, don't superimpose Fred Armisen's face over a kid's body, that was creepy. Oh, and don't rely on a celebrities' presence or nostalgic callbacks and moments.

I'm giving Zoolander 2 a 40/100.