The second sequel to the 2009 runaway smash from writer/director Todd Phillips (Road Trip, Old School), The Hangover Part III has already arrived and it continues the misadventures of the series ‘Wolfpack’: Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), and Doug (Justin Bartha).
In this installment, we find our gang chaperoning out-of-control sociopath Alan to a rehab centre in the wake of a string of incidents at his hand, including a highway giraffe decapitation and the death of his father (Jeffrey Tambor). On their journey they are accosted by gangster Marshall (John Goodman), who — knowing of their prior association — demands they bring to him the wily Mr Chow (Ken Jeong), who has stolen a large amount of gold from him. With Marshall holding Doug hostage as collateral (of course!), it is up to the rest of the Wolfpack to trace down the recent jailbird Chow, setting up a film which is less buddy comedy and more a dark, action oriented… something. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t possibly classify it as comedy.
The Hangover Part II was an unashamed cash-grab, built solely to take advantage of the runaway success that was the first instalment from 2009. And unashamed it was, retreading moments from the original nearly beat-for-beat; character moments, musical cues, and general plotting were simply re-placed from Vegas to Bangkok. It is lazy — yet successful and lucrative — filmmaking at it’s worst.
The Hangover Part III looks to continue this tradition: moments from this teaser look strikingly familiar, they even got band Wolfmother back for a third run. One can only hope with a return to Vegas they can recapture the charm of the first film, and avoid the unwanted and seedy meanness which made watching Part II such a dirty experience.
It’s also a shame that due to continuing tradition, the talented Justin Bartha is once again stuck on the sidelines, leaving the antics solely up to Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and the manic Chang Chow (Ken Jeong). Jeffrey Tambor, Heather Graham, Jamie Chung and Mike Epps return, as does director Todd Phillips.
Prepare yourself for a severe case of déjà vu when The Hangover Part III opens wide nationally on May 23 and it will — along with Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness — set the pace for the rest of blockbuster season.
The sequel to the modestly successful 2010 superhero film comes with a different director (Jeff Wadlow replacing Matthew Vaughn, who is sticking to producer duties) and a much smaller budget, as is clear by looking at the first teaser. Things look much brighter than before, and I would assume the violence and language will be toned down — if even slightly — to try and recoup its humble investments: something that its bigger budgeted predecessor struggled with.
Although the VFX and set design look schlocky at best, most of the original headline cast is returning (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christoper Mintz-Plasse), and joining them are some terrific actors that don’t have three-part names: Donald Faison, John Leguizamo, Morris Chestnut, and a nearly unrecognisable Jim Carrey. Carrey’s role as Colonel Stars and Stripes will be a big factor in getting people to see this, as he looks and sounds fantastic and is nearly unrecognisable.
Kick-Ass 2 does not yet have an official Australian release date, but I would expect to see it at the tail-end of blockbuster season, depending on how it fares on its US release.