Zoolander 2

Killing Justin Bieber in the first scene may ingratiate movie-goers old enough to remember the first Zoolander, but sadly, the rest of this sequel will also have fans of the 2001 film mourning the ruin of Ben Stiller's original poufy-haired poseur.Fifteen years on, he again directs himself as catwalk superstar Derek Zoolander and is joined by his old partner in fashion crime, Hansel (Owen Wilson), in a hopelessly muddled plot. Following a fire that leaves Derek widowed, his son in care and Hansel in hiding (thanks to a teeny-tiny facial scar), Zoolander is drawn into the investigation surrounding Bieber's murder - led by a pouting Penélope Cruz - and is targeted by old rival Mugatu (Will Ferrell). A search for the Fountain of Youth draws these strands together about as tightly as a supermodel in size-16 trousers. Ferrell's manic energy is a late but welcome shot in the arm when the action starts to sag, but he's awkwardly shoehorned into the story. A torrent of cameos - including a brow-less Benedict Cumberbatch - can't hide the cracks and while daft plotting shouldn't matter, here it overshadows the characters and blunts the satire. There are too few laughs and none of the cool edge you'd expect from the man whose look was "Blue Steel".