The first Zoolander (2001)
film was fun—its stupidity and silliness tickled the funny bone. But in this
sequel, those elements feel out of place. I believe it was a bad move to go
ahead with this film, as it was destined to fail commercially from the moment
Ben Stiller decided to make it. Zoolander 2 is both a critical and
commercial failure, lacking laughs and relying too heavily on recycled gags to
remind you of the first film, which came out 15 years ago.
The first Zoolander (2001)
was fun and enjoyable, especially in how it poked fun at the fashion industry.
I saw Zoolander in 2002 and loved the absurdity of watching this
clueless man live in his own world with a cell phone as big as my finger. The
presence of Vince Vaughn and Jon Voight (who played his brother and father,
respectively) made the movie a home run for me. The “Magnum” look was epic, and
I believe Zoolander started the trend of puckering up for photos before Kim
Kardashian perfected it.
In the first
film, Derek stopped Mugatu and saved the day by unleashing his “Magnum” look,
freezing the shuriken in front of his face and letting it fall to the ground
after Mugatu threw it at the Prime Minister. Throughout this sequel, they keep
flashing back to that look, with his former rival and now best friend, Hansel,
trying to get him to pull it off again.
The movie starts
by reintroducing Zoolander (Ben Stiller) as a clueless individual who can’t
even take care of himself, let alone his son. He loses custody of his son and
withdraws from life, living alone in New Jersey. Billy Zane brings him an
invite to the House of Atoz, which Hansel (Owen Wilson) also receives.
The two meet up
and are joined by Fashion Interpol agent Valentina Valencia (Penelope Cruz),
who briefs them on the recent deaths of pop stars—all of whom died with the
same look on their faces. They agree to help Fashion Interpol if they assist
Zoolander in finding his son.
Soon, they
discover that Mugatu is behind everything. He’s kidnapped Zoolander’s son to
sacrifice him and steal his heart, as the boy is a descendant of Steve, and his
heart holds the key to eternal youth.
Steve, as you
might be wondering, is the third person in creation. According to the film, in
the beginning, God made Adam and Eve—and Steve.
I guess Ben
Stiller, like Adam Sandler, is finding himself becoming a bit archaic.
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