The highly anticipated sequel to the 2001 comedy Zoolander turned out to be not as really, really, ridiculously good as its predecessor.
The original film ended on a positive note. The Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can’t Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too was successful, Hansel and Derek were better friends than ever, and Derek and Matilda had just welcomed Derek Jr. to the family. Things seem pretty good, right?
Wrong…
The sequel reveals that only two days after the center’s opening, it completely collapsed, killing Matilda, disfiguring Hansel, and resulting in Derek Jr. getting taken away by child services. It’s been a rough fifteen years for the has-been Derek Zoolander.
Zoolander 2′s general premise is different enough from the original that it seems promising. Derek (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) are recruited by fashion icon Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) for a show in Rome, where the two model idiots find themselves working with a member of the Intrpol Fashion Divison/ex-swimsuit model (Penelope Cruz) to figure out who is killing all the world’s beautiful pop stars, all while Derek desperately tries to win back the love of his son (Cyrus Arnold). However, the entire film seemed less focused on plot and more determined to rehash every single joke from the original, making it more like a tribute and less like its own film. While it was initially funny when Derek and his son went on a joyride to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” the feeling of nostalgia was lost by the time “break-dance fighting” was replaced with “sexy fighting” in a climactic scene that was ultimately the same as the first movie. The fashion show was just a front for a murder, Mugatu was behind the whole thing! Surprise, surprise!
While mostly lacking in fresh, original jokes, there were several jokes that still warranted laugh-out-loud reactions. As always, the visual gags were strong and the celebrity cameos kept on coming (including Joe Jonas, Susan Boyle, Willie Nelson, Susan Sarandon, and of course, Billy Zane). The film’s resolution was generally comical and satisfying, and certainly had the distinct Derek Zoolander touch (including Hansel discovering that Sting is his father).
Zoolander 2 was released in theaters February 12. Watch the cameo-packed trailer below:
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