The Hangover Part II

            You know it's not often that a sequel is better than the original it follows. Some may say a sequel in the Star Wars franchise or Indians Jones franchise is better than the first, but there will always be debate when it comes right down to it. However, though I'm sure some out there may think otherwise, I don't believe The Hangover Part II will ever be heavily debated as being better than the original.
            First off, the first movie was never made with the intention of a sequel being created. But like with anything in Hollywood now a days, if it makes a bucket load of money than you can make a pretty safe bet a sequel will be made. If one isn't than I guarantee it wasn't from a lack of trying.  The problem with this movie is the fact the original was a not a script where a sequel could easily be adapted off of its storyline. Sure there are a couple sub plot lines you could try to roll with, but there really wasn't enough there to make a whole other movie. The plot of the first Hangover was pretty much one and done. This is where The Hangover Part II runs into its only problems.
           The plot of The Hangover Part II is essentially the exact same as the original only in a new location and other details slightly altered. Then again as I have pointed out above this is really the only way to have created a sequel to begin with. Plus, I give credit to director Todd Phillips and the marketing team behind this film as they have never pretended it was anything else. They knew what they did and needed to do and they advertised it as such. They went with the old saying, "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it."
           In this go around Stu (Ed Helms) is the one getting married. He's getting married in Thailand as to please his soon to be wife and her parents. After what happened last time he does not want a bachelor party, much to the disdain of his friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha); well mainly Phil. As a favor to Doug, Stu agrees to invite Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to the wedding, thus completing the Wolfpack.
           The guys fly to Thailand and are doing the usual pre-wedding festivities. They go out on the beach one night, along with Stu's soon to be brother-in-law Teddy (Mason Lee), to just kick back and have a beer. Next thing they know they're waking up in a crappy hotel in Bangkok and don't know what has happened. Their old friend Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is there, and oh, Teddy is missing. Thus the adventure begins.
            Contrary to how it might sound above I didn't care that the plot was exactly the same. I wish more of the jokes had been a bit more original though as a lot of them seemed to play off ones from the last movie as well. However, this didn't make them unfunny, it just diluted the instant hilarity you got from the similar jokes in the first movie.
            Overall, I still really enjoyed this movie. It was still hilarious and outrageous like the first with plenty shocking/gross/funny moments. The only problem is trying to find that absolute hilarity the first one gave so well, when you're already looking for it.
             I give the movie a thumbs up and 3 out of 4 stars. If you haven't seen it yet and you really don't want to have to wait a few more months to see it on DVD, then by all means go the theater to see it. I did and I by no means see it as a waste of money and I highly doubt you'll disagree with me. Enjoy!

Editors note: Due to my vacation and long absence from the blog I figured I should skip the review of Little Fockers this time and go with the most recent movie I have viewed, especially because of its popularity and the fact that it's out in theaters now. Little Fockers will most likely be next up to be reviewed, though I do have a few options to pick from so stay tuned!