Back in 1984, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner starred in their improvised rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, about their fictional British heavy metal band.
Considered one of the greatest comedies of all time, they’ve dared to finally make a sequel.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues sees the band reunite for one final concert after a 15 year hiatus, in a film featuring Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John as themselves.
Now the reviews are in ahead of the film’s cinematic release this weekend and the critics are decidedly mixed on whether this one goes up to 11.
The Guardian
Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner return in a still-funny, cameo-studded telling of the hapless band’s final gig
Empire
This collection of tired jokes is enough to prompt the question, “What day did the Lord create Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, and couldn’t he have rested on that day too?”
The Independent
A startlingly unfunny sequel. It might be the point that this belated follow-up to the 1984 classic is irrelevant, half-baked and poorly timed – but where are the jokes?
Collider
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is like the reunion concerts it’s satirizing. It may not capture the exact same magic as the original performance did, but its mere ability to elicit an even remotely similar response is worth the price of admission.
HeyUGuys
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues may not reach the impossible heights of its predecessor, but it doesn’t need to. This is a tender, moving and actually quite funny sequel. Yes, I’m just as shocked as you.
Blu-ray.com
Doesn’t come close to the brilliance of the 1984 endeavor, an impossible achievement, but it’s a breezy sit that should keep fans smiling when they aren’t in stitches, offering another round of this special musical and comedic chemistry.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is released in UK cinemas on Friday.