It took me a long time to finally watch the first Anchorman movie, and once I saw it, I loved it. The characters were classic, the jokes are always on point, the movie was highly quotable, and for a comedy film, there was a good plot. Everything worked in the first Anchorman movie, and while it took a long time for the sequel to happen, it finally did. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a great movie. Like many sequels, it’s not as good as the first one, but it’s great all on its own.
The movie starts up a few years after the events in the first. Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone are married and working in New York. Ron gets fired from the job while Veronica is promoted, and an ensuing argument forces Ron to leave New York and go back to San Diego. After some work mishaps, he gets a job back in New York for GNN, which is a 24 hour news network. Ron gets his team back together: Champ Kind, Brian Fantana, and Brick Tamland, and the team heads back to the Big Apple to change news history yet again.
Again, the plot of the movie, unlike many comedies, helps to make the jokes funny and make the movie an actual movie rather than joke after joke. There’s plenty of break time to progress the characters, which is why the first movie was so successful: we get to see the characters change and grow. Of course, you have some recurring gags in the film; much like Brian Fantana’s cologne gag in the first, this time he has a condom gag which is as hilarious. There is another news team battle as well, and the special cameos are amazing.
The new additions to the main cast are great, and the interactions the old members have with the new ones are phenomenal. One plot point has to do with a rivalry between Ron Burgandy and Jack Lime, played by James Marsden. The characterization of Lime, and his rivalry with Ron is beautiful and the jokes between them are really funny. Also included in this casting is Kristen Wiig, who I’m a huge fan of. Meagan Good as the new boss Linda Jackson is another great casting choice, and her character is well done. Again, the interactions with Ron are spectacular, and almost satirical in a sense.
That’s one other thing about the Anchorman movies; whether they are supposed to be satirical or not, some of the jokes really hit a certain tone, especially in this one with the “evolution of the news” as it is.
The biggest reason why this movie is not as good as the first are the quotable jokes. There aren’t a whole lot of them unfortunately. Don’t get me wrong, there are great hilarious jokes throughout that will make you laugh and cry at the same time; however, there are a bunch that you watch and forget because they are not memorable.
Another small problem is the pacing of the movie. Yes, its a comedy so pacing shouldn’t matter, but its a smart comedy, so it does a bit. Mostly getting from joke to joke, or plot point to joke, it seems off timed in some instances. Plus, there are a couple of slow spots in the movie; unlike in the firs Anchorman where the punches kept rolling.
The middle of the movie is both good and bad. While it mixes tragic aspects with comedy to create a unique blend of comedy, this is where the movie truly takes a hit in terms of pacing. it is slow, and the jokes really lay off for a bit. The actual plotting of this part in the film makes sense in a humanistic standpoint, but it could have just as easily not been part of the movie and would not have made a difference.
One other point to mention if the character of Brick. While Steve Carell’s character is supposed to act the way he does in the films, it is ramped up a bit more. The first time watching Anchorman 2 I was disappointed in how much time was spent on Brick and, in my opinion, I thought his bits were dumb and close to being unfunny. The second time I watched, however, I found appreciation in what they did with Brick and after re-watching the jokes, I found them to be funnier than I first thought.
Anchorman 2 truly is a tough movie to review. As a sequel to a great comedy movie, it has a lot to live up to, and while it does succeed in being a great movie, it is just not as good as the first. That doesn’t mean don’t see it, but just don’t expect another Anchorman in full. Regardless, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is funny, action packed, and greatly characterized, and anyone who watches this film will be laughing most of the time.
I rate Anchorman 2 an 8/10.
Monahan's Mind 