Film review: Zoolander 2 is so over the top you’ll yearn for the original

15 years later, a Zoolander sequel has finally been put together. However, despite the over-the-top cameos, this film might just be too silly and ridiculous even for fans of the original.

Ben Stiller, Penelope Cruz and Owen Wilson in Zoolander 2. Wilson Webb / Paramount Pictures

Zoolander 2

Director: Ben Stiller

Stars: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz

Two stars

Belated sequel Zoolander 2, directed and co-written by star Ben Stiller, aims to be silly and ridiculous – just like the original was 15 years ago, only more so.

The “more so” ends up being the problem. It ups the ante so aggressively and relentlessly that you might find yourself pining for a relaxing night in front of a 2001-era TV, watching the original on a VHS videotape.

That’s not to say there aren’t laugh-out-loud moments, especially when your favourite celebrities or designers appear in cameos, playing themselves.

Eventually, however, you’ll start to feel like your smile is frozen on your face (and it has nothing to do with Botox), while in your heart, you’ve stopped laughing.

But boy, those cameos. We begin with Justin Bieber being chased through the streets of Rome and gunned down, bullets riddling his body like a scene from The Godfather. Before succumbing, he naturally manages to send a duck-faced selfie to his fans.

This sets up the international intrigue side of the movie – all you need to know is that Penelope Cruz is the head of Interpol’s Global Fashion Division, who is trying to find out why so many pop and rock stars are being murdered.

Meanwhile, retired models Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson), are no longer friends. They are reunited when they are summoned to Rome to appear in a fashion show hosted by tycoon Alexanya Atoz (an unrecognisable Kristen Wiig, channelling Donatella Versace).

The designer they are appearing for is Don Atari (Kyle Mooney), a millennial who endlessly spouts trendy jargon. In one genuinely funny jibe at such designers, Atari holds his catwalk show not at the beautiful Trevi Fountain, but in an abandoned medical-waste facility – “Totally toxic, but chill,” he notes.

Benedict Cumberbatch shows up here, spoofing gender ambiguity as a character called “All”.

Soon Zoolander and Hansel are dragged into the plot involving those rock-star murders – and a possible Fountain of Youth. This is where Mugatu (Will Ferrell) comes in. Remember him? Well, he’s in jail – fashion jail. Once he gets out, we’re ready for the final confrontation, where every designer you’ve ever heard of appears.

Valentino? Check. Hilfiger. The Wangs – Alexander AND Vera. Marc Jacobs. And of course, the doyenne of fashion, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, gamely playing it for laughs.

The quantity of all these cameos – we haven’t even told you about the rock stars – is undoubtedly impressive.

Yet, like too many blinding sequins on a catwalk gown, such quantity can be stifling, too.