1984's “This Is Spinal Tap” holds a special place in the pantheon of great movies. The fake documentary about a fading heavy metal band took advantage of the near-self-parody of rock-n-roll itself. Written by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, the genius of the film is that it recognizes that the more seriously these bands take themselves, the funnier they are. It was only necessary to tweak the rock-n-roll formula slightly to make it hilarious. Led Zeppelin's “Stairway to Heaven” is a truly great song, but throw in just a couple extra elf references, and you've got Spinal Tap's “Stonehenge.” As for the rest of Spinal Tap's work, I could mix songs like “Big Bottom” and “Bitch School” into a playlist of real heavy metal songs and you would have trouble telling which songs were real and which were the parodies.”This Is Spinal Tap” is as perfect as a film can get, and it set the standard for fake documentaries. (Christopher Guest, of course, would go on to make “mockumentaries” his trademark, with films like “Best in Show”.) And in the sense that professional wrestling is not “fake” per se, Spinal Tap the band may be made up, but it is not fake. Guest, McKean, and Shearer are actually talented musicians, and the songs and albums are pretty good, besides being funny.
Thus, it was with some trepidation that I approached the new sequel, “Spinal Tap: The End Continues”. There is a great legacy at stake here, and I didn't want to see something unworthy. A couple of questions arise: 1) Why did it take so many years to make a sequel? 2) Why do a sequel at all? The answer to the first question is legal issues. Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer have been fighting for decades with their film studio over the rights and profits from the original film and music. It wasn't until 2021 that the original creators regained control over their work. As for why they made a sequel, Hollywood never needs an excuse to do that! Fortunately, they made something worthwhile.
The sequel is another mockumentary. Filmmaker Martin DiBergi (Reiner) revisits his old subjects, learning that the band's old management contract, now held by their late manager's daughter, stipulates that they must reunite for a final concert. DiBergi visits the estranged band members in their new lives, finding Nigel Tufnel (Guest) running a cheese shop, Derek Smalls (Shearer) selling exotic glues, and David St. Hubbins (McKean) writing on-hold music. The bandmates meet up in New Orleans for their reunion concert, and old grievances quickly create tension.
Is “Spinal Tap II” as good as the original? Hell no! Nothing is going to be as good as the original Spinal Tap. Even so, the sequel is hilarious and fun. It goes without saying that you should see the first movie first. Anyone who hasn't seen the original Spinal Tap needs to crawl out from whatever rock they are living under and catch up with the rest of the free world. Then definitely watch the sequel. It is not as funny or as quotable as the original, but it's a good time, with new music and surprise cameos, and it takes the story new places.
4 stars out of 5
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