*** stars
I can already imagine the reviews The Hangover: Part II will be getting (note: I wrote this review on Monday, May 23rd, when reviews weren't available to the public yet):
"A remake of the original."
"Basically Vegas all over again, only this time it's in Thailand."
"The original was waaaaaay better."
Here's the deal. If one ever thinks that a comedy sequel will always be more original than its predecessors, dream on. However, what one should do is expect more laughs and crazier scenarios. Thus is part, this sequel delivers.
What made the original Hangover so refreshing and inventive was its formula. Show the before and after of a bachelor party gone wrong and save what actually happened to the viewer's imagination. Then during the credits, display the raunchy footage audiences deserve. So why mess with something that already works?
This time around, Phil, Stu, and Allen make their way over to Thailand for Stu's wedding. The man who married a stripper, lost a tooth, and avoided a horrible engagement with a terrible girlfriend is finally getting the life he always imagined. But in Allen's mind, the Wolf Pack is a lifelong commitment and he knows that the three of them are meant to live it up once again. So one night after a harmless cheer with a single beer, they wake up in a run down hotel in Bangkok only to discover that "it happened again". For those who experienced round one, you know exactly what this means. For those who haven't, watch it, and then come out for round two.
Don't worry, Doug isn't missing again. But Stu's bride's little genius brother Teddy is. And to make matters worse, they discover his finger soaked in blood. Now they have to find him before Stu loses everything.
What makes the Hangover franchise creatively successful (along with the formula) is the direction by Todd Phillips. His exterior shots of Thailand are so well mastered that this could have been an amazing 2D IMAX experience. He makes the right decision by letting things unfold through the action of the characters rather than the jokes. Things happen for a reason, and with that, the audience is able to enjoy the chaos even if they know the endgame. Having Part II take place on the other side of the world while still delivering the hilarious goods is surefire proof that it's the characters that make it happen, not the setting. Maybe it's supposed to be similar to the original because Phil, Stu, and Allen still have the same personalities. I like to think they are prone for these ridiculous situations. Like Hank Moody in Californication, they don't find trouble. Trouble finds them.
And the movie is all the better for it. I knew instantly after seeing it that it will be one of the biggest movies of the year. Not just because it's a sequel, but a sequel that lives up to the hype. You hear that Captain Jack? Watch out for The Hangover: Part II to eclipse the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean's $90 million opening and land well north of $100 million. Not bad for an R-rated comedy featuring a chain smoking monkey, eh?
"A remake of the original."
"Basically Vegas all over again, only this time it's in Thailand."
"The original was waaaaaay better."
Here's the deal. If one ever thinks that a comedy sequel will always be more original than its predecessors, dream on. However, what one should do is expect more laughs and crazier scenarios. Thus is part, this sequel delivers.
What made the original Hangover so refreshing and inventive was its formula. Show the before and after of a bachelor party gone wrong and save what actually happened to the viewer's imagination. Then during the credits, display the raunchy footage audiences deserve. So why mess with something that already works?
This time around, Phil, Stu, and Allen make their way over to Thailand for Stu's wedding. The man who married a stripper, lost a tooth, and avoided a horrible engagement with a terrible girlfriend is finally getting the life he always imagined. But in Allen's mind, the Wolf Pack is a lifelong commitment and he knows that the three of them are meant to live it up once again. So one night after a harmless cheer with a single beer, they wake up in a run down hotel in Bangkok only to discover that "it happened again". For those who experienced round one, you know exactly what this means. For those who haven't, watch it, and then come out for round two.
Don't worry, Doug isn't missing again. But Stu's bride's little genius brother Teddy is. And to make matters worse, they discover his finger soaked in blood. Now they have to find him before Stu loses everything.
What makes the Hangover franchise creatively successful (along with the formula) is the direction by Todd Phillips. His exterior shots of Thailand are so well mastered that this could have been an amazing 2D IMAX experience. He makes the right decision by letting things unfold through the action of the characters rather than the jokes. Things happen for a reason, and with that, the audience is able to enjoy the chaos even if they know the endgame. Having Part II take place on the other side of the world while still delivering the hilarious goods is surefire proof that it's the characters that make it happen, not the setting. Maybe it's supposed to be similar to the original because Phil, Stu, and Allen still have the same personalities. I like to think they are prone for these ridiculous situations. Like Hank Moody in Californication, they don't find trouble. Trouble finds them.
And the movie is all the better for it. I knew instantly after seeing it that it will be one of the biggest movies of the year. Not just because it's a sequel, but a sequel that lives up to the hype. You hear that Captain Jack? Watch out for The Hangover: Part II to eclipse the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean's $90 million opening and land well north of $100 million. Not bad for an R-rated comedy featuring a chain smoking monkey, eh?
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