I was mixed about seeing Zoolander 2. I loved the first movie 15 years ago (yes 15!! How old does that make you feel!) and was apprehensive at the thought of a sequel, especially after getting badly burned by Anchorman 2.

Zoolander 2 centres around the murders of celebrities who are all being killed off and at the moment of death they are taking selfies of themselves with a pout similar to that of Blue Steel.  Add to that sub-plots starting with Derek Zoolander’s self imposed exile and adventure to find his long lost son, mashed with some Da Vinci Code style conspiracy and you have yourself a sequel with a lot going on!

So, was it any good? Yes and No. I got a fair few laughs out of the movie, mostly due to a great Justin Bieber cameo, evil Mugatu (Will Ferrell) and his partner in crime Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig). I love that the movie pokes fun at the pretentiousness of the high fashion industry and LOVED the cameo’s, although this was all done sharper and funnier in the first movie. The scene with androgynous fashion icon of the moment ‘All’ could have been funny had the writing been a bit smarter. Joking about whether ‘All’ had a ‘hot dog or a bun’ was not only tasteless but dated comedy. Owen Wilson as Hansel seemed a bit sidelined too, with not much to do apart from follow Derek Zoolander around with a resting pout face and pining for a group of people he refers to as ‘the orgy’, and if you are looking for a plausible storyline you won’t find it here. BUT it is a Zoolander sequel, so what do you expect?

The critics have ripped this movie apart, a little unfairly I thought. At the screening I  heard big crowd laughs quite a few times, particularly when Will Ferrell was centre stage, and as I left, I overheard comments like ‘great for a Wednesday night movie’ and ‘well that was fun!’.

Zoolander 2 In Summary: There are a lot of references to the old movie, so don’t take a date or a mate who hasn’t seen the first one, they will be mightily confused! Don’t spend your hard earned money on watching this Gold Class either, go on cheap Tuesday, have a laugh, switch off and watch some silliness for an hour and a half, or wait for it to come on Foxtel!

2.5 out of 5 from me

zoolander 2