How did this take so long? Seriously, “Zoolander” was a smash hit and a complete icon for film of the 2000s, so why did it take 15 years for a sequel to come about? Who knows? But the important thing is that “Zoolander 2” (often stylized as “Zoolander No. 2,” “2oolander” and “Zoolander II”) is finally here for audiences to revel over. I found the first one to be pretty funny, with some absolutely ridiculous laughs scattered throughout the piece. I never understood the iconic nature of the film, other than it being one of the last good SNL-based films before they went out of style, but I always appreciate a film permeating its way into mainstream society. But a lot of things have changed since 2001, as we’ve gone through a complete technological renaissance since then, completely changing the way that stories are told and how they’re made.

And yet, “Zoolander 2” feels 10 years in the past.

Despite this, the best thing I can say about “Zoolander 2” is that the performances throughout are fabulous. Ben Stiller returns as Derek Zoolander, the dumb-as-bricks male model who has been in hiding for 13 years after blaming himself for his wife’s death and taking of his son by child services. Stiller is a star as Zoolander and even when many of his jokes don’t land, Stiller is 100 percent his character, which can also be said for Owen Wilson’s Hansel. Though, with the fabulous returning characters, Kristen Wiig’s Alexanya Atoz is hands down the best part of “Zoolander 2,” which made it even more heartbreaking to see her character being vastly underused in the film when she should’ve been front and center for all of it. Other fabulous performances include Penélope Cruz, Milla Jovovich, Fred Armisen, Cyrus Arnold, Kyle Mooney, Nathan Lee Graham and the ever radiant Will Ferrell as Mugatu.

But that’s where the fabulous parts of “Zoolander 2” end, if not simply because the film has such a dated feel about it, that it doesn’t hold up today. With the ever changing world of comedy, not everything holds up perfectly and “Zoolander 2” focuses a tad bit too much on how things have changed and how Zoolander and Hansel must adapt to these changing times, despite the script not doing so. The film oddly feels like it has been sitting on the shelf for 10 years waiting to be released, only to be randomly injected with performances by a strangely uncomfortable Benedict Cumberbatch attempting to satirize non-binary genders and with a Justin Bieber assassination scene (for which people in the theater cheered for, somewhat disturbingly).

Even to pretend that we’re still in 2001 doesn’t help too much, as much of the script is just too over-the-top to really be hilarious. When the film doesn’t try as hard, it succeeds in making the audience laugh a lot more than in the bigger, more advertised scenes. “Zoolander 2” simply felt as if it was trying to capitalize off of the immense popularity of the first film, despite taking 10 years and three Paramount logo revisions to do so.

But the laughs that do come in the down periods work, if not only because of the chemistry all of the cast have with each other, both old and new. Stiller and Cruz make a hilarious pairing together, as well Ferrell and Wiig, all culminating in some pretty hilarious scenes with each other, albeit sporadically. The cameos in the film were also mostly hilarious, given for a few strangely placed appearances that didn’t seek to make any sense, but then again, not a single second of this movie makes any sense.

I can’t go so far to say that “If you liked ‘Zoolander,’ you’ll love ‘Zoolander 2,’” because that simply isn’t the case. “Zoolander 2” is nowhere near as bad as 2014’s “Dumb and Dumber To” that only lived to desecrate the legacy of the first one, but “Zoolander 2” doesn’t do any favors for itself either. It’s simply a standard sequel, one that brings about 50 percent of the tone back to itself and fails to live up to the first installment, sad as it may be. It’s pretty harmless, but the gags feel stuck in the early ’00s and the best parts about the movie are vastly underused, making it feel a bit dry in scenes. It’s an easy watch, one that you won’t live to regret or live to rejoice over either, “Zoolander 2” just … is.

2.5/5

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Directed by: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Kyle Mooney, Milla Jovovich, Justin Theroux, Nathan Lee Graham, Cyrus Arnold, Benedict Cumberbatch.
Runtime: 102 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, a scene of exaggerated violence and brief strong language.

Paramount Pictures presents, a Red Hour/Scott Rudin production, a Ben Stiller film, “Zoolander 2”