This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
That Look
Plot Overview
In this sequel to the 2001 film “Zoolander”, professional assassins have been targeting the world's most beautiful people who die with a defiant look on their face, protecting some mysterious “chosen one.” Interpol agent Valentina Valencia (Penélope Cruz), of the Fashion Crime Division, seeks the whereabouts of former male model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) to interpret said look from a selfie. Both Derek and fellow former model Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson) have, for different reasons, come out of seclusion to head for Rome at the invite of fashion maven Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) in hopes of becoming “the two biggest, hottest models in the world again.” Instead, they are branded as “Old” and “Lame”, but in exchange for their inside help, Mlle Valencia will make Interpol's vast resources available to Zoolander to help him locate his missing son Derek Jr. (Cyrus Arnold). Unfortunately, cult fashion designer Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) has his own designs on the little lamb, and a prison escape plan in the offing as well.
Ideology
God being the Primary Cause of everything—i.e. (Isaiah 45:7) “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things”—including the “for better or worse”—i.e. “peace and evil”—in our marriages for which we are the secondary causes, we may for the sake of comedy engage in a little game of "what if" trying out different formulae to see what else we'd have had to work with had God made the world differently. “Zoolander 2” takes the bromide, “God made them Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” and tries out, “God made them Adam and Eve … and Steve” [sic]. That's a solecism. The movie glimpses Adam and Eve as their natural selves, and Steve as a being so glamorous no mirror can reflect his beauty—great special effects here! Okay.
The tree of life in the Garden of Eden now becomes “Aqua Vitae,” i.e. “water of life,” or as translated in the movie, “fountain of youth.” God (see Gen. 3:24) placed “Cherubims, and a flaming sword” east of Eden “to keep the way of the tree of life.” In the movie some mysterious “chosen one” is up for sacrifice whose blood is a fountain of youth to those who drink it, and his guards have “the fire” by which they can manipulate flying knives with “that look” of theirs. Okay.
In a (2016) movie world where nobody thinks twice about same-sex marriage—God, after all, did make them Adam and Steve here—some people are pushing the envelope, notably the figure All (Benedict Cumberbatch) of indeterminate sex (“Have you got a wiener or a bun?”) who “just married him/herself” (“Mono-marriage is now legal in Italy.”) This movie comes across as sarcasm rather than sacrilege.
Zoolander went the way of a monogamous marriage, heading a nuclear family. Derek's wife Matilda (Christine Taylor), however, was “crushed by the book” when his monument at the Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good collapsed. When the first man (Adam) was remade into the first men (Adam and Steve), Adam's signature dominion over the creation suffered, and widower Zoolander lacked fundamental bachelor skills to boil water, i.e. “make spaghetti soft”, while some of that skill passed on to his friend Hansel who practiced a kind of spaghetti-leg yoga. It made Derek an unfit parent (“He's literally the worst father ever”), so Child Services took his son. Okay.
Hansel went for a polygamous marriage, but it stifled his personal growth (“Every relationship has to evolve, but you've managed to stay the same”), and when some in his “orgy” (“All of you”) turned up pregnant—including the male (“How is this even possible?”)—, Hansel couldn't handle the responsibility (“We thought you'd be happy.”) To be fruitful and multiply had left the polygamist overwhelmed. Okay.
In this brave new world, God remains consistent with some things in his traditional (Adam & Eve) world, namely his New Testament acceptance of mixed marriages. Widower Zoolander was not restricted to remarry only to another model, so when the time was right for him to move on, as confirmed by a heavenly vision from his deceased wife Matilda, he married Valentina who was too buxom to be a swimsuit model. Nevertheless, when need required, she could swim, but that's a different part of speech. That's similar (from a female viewpoint) to Paul's injunction for, (1Cor. 7:39) “The wife … if her husband be dead, … is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” “Only in the Lord” would be an awkward construction as an adjectival prepositional phrase modifying whom she may marry, so we accept it (in both English and Greek) as an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying her manner of going about it “only in the Lord.”
Hansel when he grew tired of his old orgy, was looking to enter a new one that was as much a mixed bag as the old. That's similar to Paul having allowed an existing mixed marriage, i.e. (1Cor. 7:14) “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband”, also allows a Christian to enter into a new marriage with a nonbeliever, i.e. (1Cor. 3:21-22) “For all things are yours; Whether … the world, … or things present, or things to come; all are your's.”
There's also an Old Testament consistency with Eccl. 4:13-14 directly applicable to Bible translation. Old manuscripts come out of their imprisonment in monasteries or libraries or "junk drawers" to dominate the modern translations, while the good native English words of the reliable King James Version (KJV) gradually become poor in currency. But they're as wise as ever, just not prevalent in current usage. In this movie Derek Jr. is counted as wise (for speaking Italian), while intractable Mugatu show signs of having been affected by his prison stay (“Prison life change me deeply. I'm a psycho.”) When we read, (2Cor. 6:14) “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: ...” we don't exactly have the Greek word hetero-... for to be yoked that the original readers would have understood to apply to corporate worship or service, but we do have (in the KJV) the plural pronoun ye, so if we wanted to apply this injunction to, say, marriage, and we're not talking about group marriage, then we'd have to first examine the context to see how we can convert it to the singular. Paul's following series of rhetorical questions, quoted loosely from the Old Testament, when examined (see my study on this) show it to apply to worship and/or service, not to marriage per se. A more evolved English as used in modern translations eliminates number distinctions in the second person pronoun (thee, thou, you, ye) allowing us to do switch it mentally using the all-purpose pronoun you, setting us up to take 2Cor. 6:14 as a “not unequally yoked” proof text to prohibit a Christian (singular) from entering a mixed marriage, contradicting Paul. Worse, a contingent of "dynamic translations"—idea for idea rather than word for word—have taken it upon themselves to rework the earlier saying of Paul into a prohibition. These psycho translations call for a more heavy-handed restraint on their use, as was Mugatu not only locked in a cell, but wearing a straitjacket, and chained by the neck to a pole.
Production Values
This sequel, “” (2016), was directed by Ben Stiller. It was written by John Hamburg, Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, and Nick Stoller. It stars Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Penélope Cruz. Ben Stiller plays a supermodel to perfection and maintains a great rapport with Wilson. Other cast members aren't quite as impressive. Ferrell reprises his role as Mugatu, a heavy villain from the first Zoolander film going all out, along with Mugatu's co-conspirator played by Wiig. Cruz steams with saucy sex appeal working with Stiller.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for crude and sexual content, a scene of exaggerated violence, and brief strong language. It was filmed in Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy. Rome looks real good in this picture, along with special effects aimed at a cast having a merry time of it. And Leesa Evans's outlandish costume designs are so appropriate to the occasion.
Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation
This is one crazy picture, but we live in a crazy world to escape from, and this one does it … or not. The characters and plot were consistent with the premise of beautiful people being full of themselves. It's a great picture to while away the time with, lots of surprises, outrageous from end to end. Should be enjoyable if your tastes run along abstract, fun lines.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years. Special effects: Absolutely amazing special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall product rating: Five stars out of five.
bibles.n7nz.org