When all the makers of a sequel can do is completely rehash the original (just in a different location), then that’s not usually good news for audiences. The Hangover worked because it felt fresh – a quality The Hangover Part II seems to be lacking: haven’t we seen all these gags before, in Vegas? The first movie’s comedy came from the way it took so many left turns (a baby? A tiger? Mike Tyson?) and defied expectations of “what happens next”. It became the most successful R-rated comedy of all time.

So the studio response is natural, if unfortunate for us. Why mess with a winning formula? Pump out a sequel that almost exactly imitates the first, and make that formula formulaic. Although I did laugh at “Thi-land”.

Who Are These People Who Are Excited About The Hangover Part II – Devin’s Advocate