After years of speculation and fans craving for more, America’s favorite news anchor Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is back and he’s ready to take NY by storm in Adam McKay’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. In the highly anticipated sequel that’s been promoted out the wazoo, San Diego’s top newsman Ron Burgundy is offered a job at a brand new type of channel, a 24-hour news station, and he rounds up his old team and heads off to the big apple where he hopes to bring his name into the spotlight once again.
The question most people have asked me is if the movie is better than the original? To them I say let’s be honest, that’s a hard thing to do but Anchorman 2 is extremely funny and will not disappoint fans of the original. It certainly lives up to expectations and I think that’s all we can ask for in a sequel that has a legion of die-hard fans excited about glorious hair and fantastic moustaches. In terms of structure this film is better as it does have a more coherent story, one filled with ridiculously random events like the first film, but one with at least a more traditional structure and narrative instead of being a scattershot of events.
As with the original, everyone nails their role and is completely engrossed in their character which makes for a wonderful experience as an audience member. The chemistry they have is magnetic and their skills at over-the-top improv allow for them to string together ridiculous pieces of dialogue resulting in the memorable quotes which we will remember for years to come. I’ve already got my favorite memorized and I can’t wait to see the film again to add more to my repertoire. I don’t need to mention how good Ferrell is but I will say that David Koechner stepped up his game as Champ Kind but, even more so, Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana had some hilarious moments, especially when he tries to help Brick with his condom dilemma.
The one major difference between this film and the original is that Brick (Steve Carell) gets a lot more screen time, and rightly so. His character is easily the second best amongst the cast and his level of stupidity and incredible yell/scream induces bellyaching laughter which the movie needs to break up all the regular laughs and chuckles that the movie guarantees you from the opening frame (as if you really needed a rest).
I don’t want to spoil anything specific about this film, and I won’t, but I have to say two things and they are connected. One, the cameos in the movie are great and surprising, and two, they bring back the news team battle royale and it may be one of the most epic, hilarious and startling on-screen battles you’ll see this year, maybe even ever. Yeah, it’s that damn good.
It’s rare that original and memorable characters are created in cinema these days because of all the reboot work that’s been going on, but when legendary characters emerge they come with the force of thunder and are as great as Odin’s beard. Ron Burgundy is one of those characters to emerge from the clutter and his return in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues proves why his name is synonymous with recklessness, hilarity and beautifully sculpted hair. It may not be the best comedy of the year but Anchorman 2 is certainly one of them and a must-see for all who want to laugh their pants off.
Rating: A worthy sequel that promises laughs, a shark, awkwardness, perfect cameos and memorable quotes galore (7.2/10)
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