Movie Date: Zoolander 2 (NC16)
Guys will dig Zoolander’s dumb act all over again, girls will just find it dumb.
STARRING: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig
DIRECTOR: Ben Stiller
THE SKINNY: Male models Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel (Wilson) are lured back to the modelling world after years of self-imposed seclusion. In Rome
for a major fashion event, they find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy where famous pop stars are mysteriously killed, all sporting Zoolander’s famous Blue Steel look.
MARS by JASON JOHNSON
Zoolander 2 is filled with great people.
Stiller, Wilson and Ferrell are three of my favourite comedic actors.
Cruz is a hottie and Milla Jovovich is my top Hollywood hottie. Sting, who plays quite a major role, has long been a hero of mine and I adore Justin Theroux.
Watching this sequel, I almost felt as if it were being made just for me.
I think it might be a Gen-X thing.
Stiller is around my age, and I sort of get where he is coming from.
A lot of people have criticised Zoolander 2 for being politically incorrect, but I really like politically incorrect jokes, mostly because they are the only sorts of jokes that are actually funny.
Others have said that Zoolander 2 is behind the times, that its sensibility and references are dated.
I have no problem with that either. At 48, I am pretty dated myself.
Of course, there have been other more general criticisms, like how the plot is silly, but I enjoyed the story.
It involves a conspiracy revolving around the descendants of Steve, the male model who shared the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
It is like The Da Vinci Code as imagined by Jean Paul Gaultier.
Most dismiss the film as stupid, but I found it colourful and imaginative.
Rating: 4/5
VENUS by JOANNE SOH
You will either love or hate something like Zoolander 2.
I fall into the latter category, mainly because its story does not make sense.
It starts off with promise, but it does not take long for the plot to spin in a different direction.
Stiller and Wilson still have the magical chemistry that keeps this comedy together.
Cruz's curves and vivacity also give the testosterone-heavy film a much-needed feminine touch.
Ferrell and the unrecognisable Wiig are hilarious, but it is a pity both are not given enough screen time.
There are some gems here but most of the time, the jokes fall flat.
Stiller, or rather Zoolander, prides himself on giving us the amazing Blue Steel pout and the Magnum modelesque look, but it loses its hilarity after you see it one too many times.
The first movie back in 2001 prided itself for scoring many celebrity cameos. It is no different here.
If only Stiller had spent more time stitching the story together than giving us a messy patchwork.
Getting famous faces was an attraction in the original, but he squeezes in one too many here.
It is all right if their presence makes sense, but for the most part, they do not.
However, someone should give Benedict Cumberbatch his own comedy or a spin-off pronto.
His transgender character All is the best thing in Zoolander 2.
Rating: 2/5
THE CONSENSUS: Guys will dig Zoolander’s dumb act all over again, girls will just find it dumb.
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