10 Ways Zoolander 2 Is Everything That’s Wrong With Hollywood
3. Flashy Visuals Are More Important Than Entertainment
In an odd sort of way, the third act of Zoolander 2 feels like its been inspired by superhero/sci-fi franchise movies. The first Zoolander had one single instance of Dereks Magnum look having magical powers, but now this idea is the centrepiece of Zoolander 2s final showdown. Hansel, Derek and Dereks son all display special abilities. And, on top of this, the closing action takes place in a hidden base, surrounded by lava. This feels totally unnecessary, as if Ben Stiller and Paramount are throwing huge chunks of their budget at special effects in the hope that they can make Zoolander 2s third act somehow resemble a big franchise movie ending. It would have been much better if theyd spent on money on a few extra script drafts instead, and refocused the script onto witty dialogue, like the original. You can see this sort of thinking all over Hollywood at the moment, with the big third act bust-up of movies becoming more about flashy visuals and less about truly entertaining exchanges. Unfortunately for Zoolander 2, Deadpool has just arrived to show how much fun a film can have without this big VFX-heavy ending. A straight comedy like Zoolander 2 certainly shouldve steered clear.
