Spinal Tap II: The End Continues might be a sequel that fans have waited forty years for, but it was well worth that wait. Hilarious, brilliant, smart.
If you are looking for a movie that will have you laughing until your cheeks hurt for ninety minutes straight, then I have the film for you. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues might be forty-one years in the making, but it is everything that fans are hoping it will be and more.
This Is Spinal Tap came out in 1984. It is an absolutely hilarious mockumentary following a metal band that is trying to get back on the charts. No one ever expected a sequel because how can you improve on perfection? Well, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer figured out how, and it was well worth the wait.
Set forty-one years later, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues catches up with the band after they have been split up for many years. It turns out their contract included one more show, so they must perform a reunion concert. The mockumentary once again follows them as they prepare for what is to be their actual final show.
Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer bring the same wit and charm that they did the first time around. It is so much fun watching them play around together. This is one of those movies that comes across like half of it is improv. I would not be surprised if the script was more or less just describing the key points to get out of a scene, and then the guys just riffed off one another. Rob Reiner is once again just there to guide them.
Those who have not seen the original film will still be able to enjoy Spinal Tap II: The End Continues; they just will not get all of the many references and callbacks to the first one. And trust me, there are a lot of them. Fans will be more than thrilled with the results.
This type of comedy is hard to pull off. Especially for as long as Spinal Tap II: The End Continues does. Clocking in at just under ninety minutes, this movie is non-stop comedy. In fact, some viewers might be laughing so hard they will miss other jokes and one-liners, which ends up being an excuse to see it again, though.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues does a great job of keeping the same vibes as the first film, but bringing in modern aspects as well. Both Taylor Swift and K-pop were mentioned, which made me happy as a clam, as these are two things in music that I absolutely love.
Of course, we still get to hear a lot of songs, performed not just by the main cast but a few surprise cameos as well. While I love these moments, it is the chemistry between the three leads and the hilarious joke after hilarious joke that makes it work as well as it does.
About Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Forty-one years after the release of the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, the now estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer) are forced to reunite for one final concert.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues also marks the resurrection of documentarian Marty Di Bergi (Rob Reiner), who once again tries to capture his favorite metal gods as they contemplate mortality–and the hope that their 12th drummer doesn’t join them in The Great Beyond. Joined by music royalty Paul McCartney and Elton John, Spinal Tap wrestles with their checkered past to put on a concert that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues comes to theaters September 12th.
