Zoolander 2 review: Ben Stiller and his fashion friends rehash the hits for ever-decreasing laughs

There's a risk when bringing back an old character that, having been taken out of their time, they're no longer funny. But in the case of Derek Zoolander, the feckless fashionista couldn't be more relevant as social media has made casual vanity part of our everyday lives. Unfortunately while the character is still fresh, his material is as stale as normcore (so last year, FYI).

Zoolander 2 picks up 14 years after the original with Derek forgotten by the world and estranged from his friends and family, having retreated to the wilds of northern New Jersey to "live the life of a hermit crab". But after a visit from his friend Billy Zane, Derek decides to get back in the game to win back his son and make himself relevant again.

After reuniting with his old rival Hansel (Owen Wilson), they're taken off on a goofy high-concept plot involving the fountain of youth, Interpol fashion police and more celebrity cameos than you can shake a selfie stick at, with everyone from Justin Bieber to Kiefer Sutherland yucking it up as comedy versions of themselves.

But this time around, the fashion industry is very much in on the joke, and where Zoolander wasn't shy about poking fun at fashion's attitudes to body image, eating disorders and exploitation of sweatshop workers, Zoolander 2 is much kinder to its subject matter, its references more broad and superficial. Perhaps this is partly explained by a hammy final act featuring fashion luminaries such as Tommy Hilfiger, Anna Wintour and Marc Jacobs playing a sinister cabal of fashion elite.

The stars of the original are mostly back, but sorely missed is Christine Taylor, who as Matilda was the straight-woman who anchored the original's story. Penelope Cruz has some funny scenes as Interpol Fashion Division agent Valentina, but she is very much on the crazy train with Derek and Hansel. Other new characters like Benedict Cumberbatch's genderfluid supermodel All and Kyle Mooney's irritating hipster Don Atari fall completely flat - both are nothing more than caricatures of buzzwords.

Will Ferrell's Mugatu hasn't lost any of his deranged bombast, but Hansel is relegated to being Derek's sidekick for much of the film and the rivalry between the dimwitted duo never results in anything as brilliant as the walk-off scene from the original. You expect a certain degree of hit-and-miss from Stiller's movies, but too many of the gags in Zoolander 2 rely on old jokes and outdated references, like a scene where a group of paparazzi are clamouring for a shot of Susan Boyle (of all people).

For Zoolander fans that are just happy to see the cast do all their hits, there's just about enough to get you, but like Derek himself - who has forgotten how to do his signature look 'Magnum' - Stiller and co seem to have forgotten what it was about the first Zoolander that made it work. In rehashing the plot and jokes, this sequel fails to recapture the charm and wit that made the original a cult classic.

Director: Ben Stiller; Screenwriters: Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, Nicholas Stoller, John Hamburg; Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz; Running time: 102 mins; Certificate: 12A