Long Time No Z
 Zoolander 2 is directed by and stars Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty). Alongside him the film features Owen Wilson (No Escape, Marley & Me), Penelope Cruz (Pirates of the Caribbean, Volver), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Despicable Me 2) and Will Ferrell (Anchorman, Step Brothers). "Derek and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out from the business". This is the next film to try and benefit from the nostalgia craze right now - is it on trend or so last season?

The story for the film was utterly ridiculous - so much so than IMDB can't even give an accurate synopsis - "Derek and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out from the business" - this doesn't really describe the film at all. The film is all about Derek wanting to get his son back after he was rightfully legally taken away from him - Derek thinks that proving he is a working man again will lead to him getting his son back. Add in some stupid magical twists about Adam, Eve and Steve and a heart that gives eternal youth. Zoolander 2 is just stupid - why would a sequel be greenlit if they couldn't even come up with a good sequel? Oh, I know, because they wanted to cash in on the nostalgia craze right now. Well, that certainly didn't pay off because the film opened with shy of $15 million in the US. The story is stupid and for a film that is a little over 80 minutes, it really does drag. Also, it was never actually really explained in the story why all of the celebrities were being killed - Zoolander proves itself to be even sloppier with so many plot holes and loose ends. 

I really don't like stupid comedy. This film reminded me a lot of Dumb and Dumber To which was another awful sequel. Both of these sequels suffer from the same thing that the jokes may have worked 10 years ago but they don't work today. I thought Zoolander 2 was just very dated - they tried to make it current by including many celebrity cameos but that just took you out of the film. The only times Zoolander 2 was funny was when celebrities were involved - a film should be able to be funny without having to bring in people who are just there for the paycheque. I did giggle at the film a few times and the best celebrity cameo by far was Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch was hilarious and really stole the scene he was in. Zoolander 2 does have its comedic moments but it mostly just falls flat.

The acting in the film wasn't bad - Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson may have been annoying characters but their performances were good and believable. Will Ferrell actually makes quite a good villain and I was impressed with myself for taking him so seriously as a villain as he is usually quite a light-hearted actor. I didn't really understand the point in Kristen Wiig being in this film - her performance was good but she was very underused. Wiig is probably the second biggest comedy star today (behind Ferrell) out of this cast and she is covered with stupid makeup and is given a character that just fades away as the plot goes on.

I have to give credit to Zoolander 2 as it does have quite a good production value - you can tell quite a bit of money has been spent on this and it does feel like it has been put together quite well. I liked at the start how you were given a recap of the characters' lives - this was especially useful for me but it also would help audiences who haven't watched the first film since its original release. So Zoolander 2 looks good which I suppose is good for a film about fashion and appearance. However, the visual effects weren't very good - when Derek channels his inner Matilda and can somehow have magical powers to control things, it all just looked a bit stupid again. 

Zoolander 2 is not worth your time - it is out of season - the whole idea is dated and no smart moves have been made to try and make it current again other than calling in and endless amount of celebrities. The performances are all solid but Cumberbatch steals the show and he was probably only on set for 1 day - the only thing I will remember about Zoolander 2 in a few months time is Cumberbatch. The plot was silly, the production value is good but most of the jokes fall flat. They tried and they failed - The only word to describe Zoolander 2 is STUPID.

2 STARS

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What did you think of ZOOLANDER 2? Do you think if the celebrity cameos were gone, you would have still found it funny? - COMMENT BELOW

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