The Hangover Part II (2011)

Sequels are usually not as good as the original and it seems people are hardly satisfied with them. This is either because it's too different or too similar.

Title: The Hangover Part II

Director: Todd Phillips

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms

Rated: R

Released: 2011

Rating: 4/5

Basic Plot: The Wolfpack is back and end up in Bangkok trying to find Teddy.

Similarities to the First Movie
I must say, this film is VERY similar to the first film. They wake up from a hangover not knowing where they are but that's really a stable of the series. There is an animal, Stu sleeps with a stripper, ect. But they do make some subtle deviations from the first one. They aren't big or huge, but they are there.

Better Than the First?
No it isn't. Is that a bad thing? No. A problem with this is that the hype for this movie was huge and so people (including me) went into the movie with expectations that couldn't hope to be met. Doing this review I had to try and separate the expectations from my opinion on the movie as its own entity.

A Little Darker Than The First
This movie ups the stakes of the first one. In the first one there was really no downside (except Doug being lost and not being able to be married) while in this one Teddy is possibly dead. Also the events are presented in a darker light. However, this doesn't detract from the humor of it.

Growth From the Previous Movie
You know what makes a good sequel? When it learns from the first one. Stu in this movie learns to be wary of alcohol (since it might be drugged) and Alan. Phil also remembers the roof from the end of the first movie and to immediately check his pockets.

Final Thoughts
The Hangover Part II is very enjoyable if you liked the first one. It has the same humor from the first movie (and is still funny). If you wanted more of the same you get it with this movie. There are little differences to make it not exactly the same as the first one. I think one of the things that ruined this movie was the big hype. Too much hype is never good for anything.