Review: Anchorman 2

It is not often in this day and age that we have to wait nine years for the sequel to a hit film to be released, but we kept wondering and waiting for this one. First it was on, then it was off, then it was definitely off forever, then it was in the pipeline, and finally they made the thing. And I’m glad they did.

Let’s go crazy and start with the punch line. It is not as good as the first film. That is a fact. But I think we would all agree that that was never going to happen – it was never going to have the same originality and ‘shock value’ (I hate that phrase, sorry) as the first film, because it had to follow Anchorman.

What Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues does however is straddle a very thin line between pandering to the whims of the die-hards whilst being its own film. It manages to raise contemporary issues (something of note for a film set in the 1980s) and by doing this it stays fresh and keeps the audience interested. It seems almost heretic to say that there may be people who see this film who have not seen the original, but these (ridiculous) individuals will enjoy it I’m sure.

Part of the charm is the fact that the whole gang is back for the film, including Baxter (who must be getting on a bit these days surely?). The Newsteam doesn’t put a foot wrong, and the supporting cast is brilliant as in the original. While there were a couple of gags that perhaps went on a bit far for me (the dinner scene for one), there are dozens of laugh out loud moments.

The general message is one of relief from me – as a huge fan of the original, I hoped and prayed that The Legend Continues would at very least not embarrass its older brother. It far exceeded these expectations, and like the original I believe it will get funnier the more you see it.