(Spoilers)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, but does it, does it really? Making a sequel to Anchorman was always going to be a big ask and it was a brave move, I don’t think that it was the epic fail that a lot of people thought it would have been but it also most definitely did not match the brilliance of the first film.
In readiness for Anchorman 2 I watched the original the night before and I had genuinely forgotten just how funny it was. It naturally set me up for the sequel and as you could expect I was rather excited. The same could be said for my mates, to quote one of them “I have such a movie boner”. It’s safe to say the expectation was high however, realistically it was never going to be as good as the first. Overall I felt that this film tried to compensate for a lack of humour and originality with cameos and recycling gags from the first film. I feel that the writers knew that they had to deliver in terms of quotes and at times it felt quite fabricated. Saying that there are some genuinely funny moments and I would recommend going to see this film with mates as you will have a good night, just don’t have the expectation that it is going to be to the same standard of Anchorman.
Once again Brick (Steve Carell) was the star of the film, and it was him who provided the biggest laughs – although I urge you to avoid trailers as most of the really funny bits are featured in them and these moments will be better if you haven’t seen them. Kristen Wiig is in this film and usually I am a fan although in this instance she is simply a less funny female version of Brick and she didn’t really add much although she did provide an avenue for Brick to unleash more of his comedic genius.
If you thought the first film was bizarre, (bear fight scene, animal languages etc) you have seen nothing yet. Anchorman 2 is rare. There is a whole scene featuring a shark, Doby, and this is maybe just a step too far – I am usually a fan of sharks but the whole thing was a step too far in my opinion. There is an attempt to recreate the famous fight scene with the different news teams from the first, unfortunately this scene is widely unfunny and the amount of cameos just becomes ridiculous, especially Kanye West – there is no need for this. However I did quite enjoy Jim Carey’s involvement as the anchor from Canadian news! Oh yeah then Harrison Ford turns into a werewolf, think it’s best to forget about this part.
So all in all Anchorman 2 is a decent comedy and would work well if it was a stand alone film however once compared to the first it will always come up short, nonetheless go and see it, laugh and quote it. By no means is Anchorman 2 a failure, there are some serious laughs!
BIGGEST FLAW – Unoriginality at times
BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – Brick’s quote about shadows and that green screen scene
Rating – 6.5/10
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