Spinal Tap II: The End Continues review – Chuckles abound in silly comedy sequel
Bringing out a sequel to a beloved cult classic after 41 years is a huge risk, and many who have attempted to mount a follow-up after decades have failed. Thankfully, Spinal Tap II breaks the mould and is a rare success story.
The mockumentary comedy, the sequel to 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, is once again helmed by filmmaker Martin Di Bergi (Rob Reiner, also the director). He reunites with the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap – featuring David St Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) – 15 years after they broke up and follows them as they are forced to get back together for one contractually-obligated concert after their song Big Bottom enjoys a resurgence on social media.
Fans of the original should be pleased that this sequel has the same tone, sense of humour and filmmaking style as its predecessor and features the classic songs (plus some new ones). Also, the returning four slip back into their characters seamlessly. It’s like they never left, even though it’s been 40 years. Obviously, it can’t recapture the magic of the original simply because that one was such a surprise, and you know what you’re getting this time around. But the fact that it’s been this long and it’s still a decent movie is a feat in itself.
I wasn’t sure if the sense of humour would translate for modern audiences but it really works. These men are masters at improvising absolute nonsense with a straight face and are so damn funny. I was always amused but I truly laughed out loud a bunch of times. It’s not a spoiler to say that Paul McCartney and Elton John are in this, with more screen time than your average cameo. They understood the assignment completely and are hilarious, deadpan improvisers. There are other cameos from the music world and the previous film (no spoilers) and professional drummer Valerie Franco kicks ass as Tap’s latest member Didi.
It’s rare for me to criticise a film for being too short but I could have easily watched 10-15 minutes more of this. The ending feels very rushed and then everything is wrapped up during the credits. I had a sense of, “Oh, is that it?” Perhaps this is because the final concert felt a bit underwhelming and lacklustre – due to the way it’s filmed rather than the actual show – and I was waiting for them to perform at actual Stonehenge, which they were spotted doing in August. Where was that footage?!
My expectations were low thanks to the iffy track record with long-gap sequels, but this was great fun. It can be enjoyed if you haven’t seen the first one, but you’ll have a much better experience if you check it out first. Fans with a deep nostalgic connection may be more picky, but if you’re just a casual fan like me, you should be entertained.
In cinemas from Friday 12th September