Zoolander No. 2 might’ve had good intentions behind the camera for Ben Stiller and its cast, but the jokes rarely landed leaving us with the stupidity of the original without any of comedy. I can’t say I had a displeasured experience while watching, merely indifference and counting down the time until it would finally end.
Zoolander No. 2
(2016)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Comedy
Paramount | Unrated – 101 min. – $39.99 | May 24, 2016
Date Published: 05/26/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 1.0/5 |
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It would seem good sequels to popular comedies is a rare commodity between Ted 2, Dumb and Dumber To, Anchorman: The Legend Continues and now Zoolander 2 which, as far as I’m concerned, the worst of the bunch, which is really saying something. This follow-up is utterly lifeless with tired jokes and even new ones that are welcomed with silence. The story really doesn’t matter, just something to string together the jokes and bring back characters, but basically pretty people, such as Justin Bieber who makes a cameo appearance in the opening, are being killed and their last picture is thought to be Zoolander’s trademark Blue Steel facial pose and investigating the murders is Interpol Agent Valentina Valencia (PENELOPE CRUZ). After a recount of the events since the first film 15 years ago, we learn Derek Zoolander’s (BEN STILLER) wife was killed when the giant book from Zoolander’s “Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good” falls on her while a beam in the collapse scars foe-turned-friend Hansel (OWEN WILSON). When his son is taken away, Zoolander goes into hiding to live as a hermit… crab.
When Billy Zane (appearing as himself of course) shows up at Zoolander’s door in the vast wilderness of New Jersey with a package, a holographic message from star fashion designer Alexanya Atoz (KRISTEN WIIG) to attend a fashion show in Rome. Hansel, living in the Middle East, in relationships with an orgy of others including Kiefer Sutherland (also appearing as himself) receives the same message to attend. Part of the “plot” involves Derek’s now teenage son (CYRUS ARNOLD) and the return of his arch nemesis Mugatu (WILL FERRELL). The problem with Zoolander 2 is that although it still contains the stupidity of the original, and in itself is beyond idiotic, the comedic part wasn’t there. I did manage to chuckle a couple of times, beyond that, I sat and watched not so much in disbelief or anger at what I was watching but utter indifference and watching to see when this train wreck of a so-called comedy would finally end.
Thing is, all of those spoof movies that were popular a few years back, and have thankfully left theaters and are mainly thrown to DTV, is that not only does Zoolander 2 have a bigger budget (reportedly $50M) but far better talent involved like Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell, not to mention the numerous cameos and bit roles from Kristen Wiig to Benedict Cumberbatch whose look will haunt your nightmares. These actors have been funny in the past but the script, co-written by Stiller along with no less than 3 others, failed them. Producer/Co-Writer/Director/Actor Ben Stiller returns to helm the sequel, who actually has a decent track record between The Cable Guy (a film that has found fans since its release), Tropic Thunder (a comedy that produced actual laughs) and, of course, Zoolander which had its moments. For Zoolander 2, however, I give him credit for wanting to give us a sequel after so many years and given the Hollywood system, it’s no easy task, yet what was produced was something so unfunny that I have to wonder how this made it to production. The other issue, the jokes themselves aren’t unique and save for some foul language and sexual content, it’s rather safe and with some edits could easily air on TBS.
I can’t really fault Ben Stiller or the rest of the cast for having a fun time shooting on location in Rome — and hanging out with numerous other celebrities making cameo appearances (to the point of being irritating) — but that comradery didn’t at all translate onto the screen and instead Zoolander No. 2 (how apt) was just a complete misfire. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy and a DVD Copy. Unlike the previous releases for Zoolander, including the Blue Steelbook Edition, this is rather light in terms of features. The Zoolander Legacy (9:02; HD) is a basic making-of featurette with cast (Stiller, Wilson, Cruz, Jovovich, Cumberbatch, etc.) and crew interviews as they discuss the original and making the sequel. Go Big or Go Rome (7:38; HD) looks at filming on location in Rome. Drake Sather: The Man Who Created Zoolander (8:26; HD) is a profile on the late writer who died in 2004 with interviews by those who knew him including Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell. Youth Milk (1:30; HD) is a mock commercial with Alexanya Atoz played by Wiig. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Zoolander No. 2 walks the runway presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture is what one would expect for a new release showcasing bright colors throughout, in keeping with the comedy genre, while detail is relatively sharp. There were no signs of artifacts, aliasing or other flaws and the black shots are fairly stark without losing detail. |
AUDIO – 4.75/5 |
| For whatever reason, this release comes with a DTS: X track, outputting to DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 for systems unable to decode, and honestly, it sounds pretty good and the film does offer a wide array of sounds from action-centric scenes to the quieter moments showing off the dialogue levels, such as one scene where Zane is talking to the right and Stiller center and their voices are appropriately outputted through the respective speakers. The LFE track isn’t quite robust yet still on the whole, it’s a nice sounding lossless track. |
OVERALL – 2.0/5 |
| Overall, Zoolander No. 2 might’ve had good intentions behind the camera for Ben Stiller (who is generally a competent filmmaker) and its cast, but the jokes rarely landed leaving us with the stupidity of the original without any of comedy. I can’t say I had a displeasured experience while watching, merely indifference and counting down the time until it would finally end. The Blu-ray released through Paramount offers great video/audio transfers but is outright light in terms of features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.