15 years may have passed since the original Zoolander, but the fashion world (and media in general) has continued to evolve. The opening scene of sequel Zoolander 2 cleverly plays on current trends. It features an action packed, Bond-inspired chase through the streets of Rome. The scene climaxes with an amusing and unexpected star cameo; one that will satisfy fans as well as those who intensely dislike the public figure. And the elaborate bit even ends with an amusing gag that pokes fun at our obsession with Selfies.
Unfortunately, this is also the funniest scene in the entire film. While there are a few chuckles to be had here and there, this overstuffed follow-up doesn’t do much that is new. Instead, it generally chooses to replay familiar gags from the original with minor alterations and throw in endless celebrity cameos. Frankly, so many stars show up out of the blue that after a time it becomes numbing and actually gets in the way of the story.
The movie begins with an update that details the rapid fall of dimwitted model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller). After the events of the first movie, a tragic accident leaves him a widower and incapable of properly caring for his young son (Cyrus Arnold). Also physically scarred by the event, Hansel (Owen Wilson) has cut all ties to his friend. Despite retreating from the public eye and becoming a “hermit crab”, Zoolander is enlisted by “Fashion Police” detective Valentina (Penelope Cruz) to help identify a secret message from several assassinated musicians. Along the way Zoolander, Valentina and Hansel encounter all sorts of characters including arch nemesis Mugatu (Will Ferrell).
Again, so much has changed over the last 15 years and media has seemingly become even more celebrity-obsessed and narcissistic. It seems like there would be plenty of new material for the talented stars to parody. There is a good bit when the heroes are reintroduced to Zoolander’s son and try to come to terms with the boy’s weight. And Ferrell’s Mugatu gets in a couple of decent quips at current fashion designers. Unfortunately, most of the other jokes simply revert to the familiar. There are nods to gags from the first film (one involving a car-related incident), but these replays just aren’t as effective the second time around.
And as mentioned, when the protagonists attempt a return to their modeling careers they come into contact with an endless number of celebrities. Between Zoolander reuniting with his son, being exposed to stars, and his attempts to gain intelligence on the bad guys, it becomes well over an hour before the villainous plot is revealed. This causes an unexpected problem to the flow of the story. For the majority of the running time, there’s little in the way of danger or intrigue for the main character. Finally, there’s also a lot of obvious CGI effects present. Much of the green-screen backgrounds and stunts in this film look particularly fake, taking some of the sting out of the physical comedy.
I snickered a handful of times and was amused by a cameo or two, but overall this sequel is far too uneven and scattershot to recommend. While it’s good to see these characters return to the runway, there isn’t much beneath the surface of Zoolander 2 to really justify its existence.