One of three major films opening this week, Zoolander 2 is a star-studded affair that attempts to recapture the magic of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's most memorable team-up. Unfortunately, it mostly fails...
Here's my quick review:
Zoolander 2 sees the pair reprising their roles as dim-witted male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel, who must this time help a sexy Interpol agent (Penélope Cruz) solve a string of murders targeting the world's most beautiful stars, as well as reunite Derek with his long-lost son Derek Jr. Arriving 15 years after the original, Zoolander 2 is a star-studded affair that starts out promisingly enough. But while the film does a commendable job setting up its various intersecting story threads, Stiller and co-writers Justin Theroux, Nicholas Stoller and John Hamburg are sadly unable to follow through. Instead, they seem content with letting the movie devolve into a parade of celebrity cameos and stale humor, settling for recycled punchlines, annoying gags and nostalgic throwbacks as a lazy alternative to creating anything that might resemble real parody. That being said, Zoolander 2 isn't completely devoid of redeeming qualities. Still, when it comes to its ability to be genuinely witty, the film feels less like a cutting-edge trendsetter and more like a cheap designer knockoff. Yes, fans of the first movie will no doubt get a kick out of seeing their favorite characters on-screen again. But once the initial thrill wears off, Zoolander 2 becomes just another tiresome retread, the kind that went out of fashion many, many seasons ago.
For my full review, click here.
Film Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Here's my quick review:
Zoolander 2 sees the pair reprising their roles as dim-witted male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel, who must this time help a sexy Interpol agent (Penélope Cruz) solve a string of murders targeting the world's most beautiful stars, as well as reunite Derek with his long-lost son Derek Jr. Arriving 15 years after the original, Zoolander 2 is a star-studded affair that starts out promisingly enough. But while the film does a commendable job setting up its various intersecting story threads, Stiller and co-writers Justin Theroux, Nicholas Stoller and John Hamburg are sadly unable to follow through. Instead, they seem content with letting the movie devolve into a parade of celebrity cameos and stale humor, settling for recycled punchlines, annoying gags and nostalgic throwbacks as a lazy alternative to creating anything that might resemble real parody. That being said, Zoolander 2 isn't completely devoid of redeeming qualities. Still, when it comes to its ability to be genuinely witty, the film feels less like a cutting-edge trendsetter and more like a cheap designer knockoff. Yes, fans of the first movie will no doubt get a kick out of seeing their favorite characters on-screen again. But once the initial thrill wears off, Zoolander 2 becomes just another tiresome retread, the kind that went out of fashion many, many seasons ago.
For my full review, click here.
Film Rating: 2.5 out of 5
