"The Hangover: Part II" is a fun retread of the first movie... Had enough laughs and quirky character beats to keep it afloat...

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2012)

If you can get over the fact that "The Hangover: Part II" is essentially a bigger-budget remake of the first film, instead of being a full-on sequel, you will like it. That's how I will start this review.
Todd Phillips returns to direct returning actors Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha. Two years after the first film, Stu is getting set to get married to his fiancée Lauren, a Thai woman whose family disapproves of Stu. When Stu, Phil and Allan hold a toast for Stu, they awaken the next day, again with no memory of what happened, and must try to solve the mystery of how they ended up in Bangkok, as well as find Lauren's missing brother, whom was with them. Their only clues are a severed finger and Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong returning, even more insane this time around), whom is mysteriously with them.
Other reviewers have pointed this out, but I will address it- this film is cruder, ruder and at times more mean spirited than the original. It is actually very violent at times, and the things our gang (the Wolf-pack) must go through are very disturbing. I won't lie, there were many times where instead of laughing, I simply stared in horror at what was transpiring. It was a bit too vulgar for its own good.
All of the actors are very good, yet again. Galifianakis stands out as Allan, whom has sort-of become the mascot for the series- a man-child who means well, but has obvious emotional and social problems, and can be very childish when he doesn't get what he wants. However, he is pushed a bit too far towards the beginning of this film, and almost becomes unlikable before somehow managing to redeem himself. This is mainly due to Galifianakis' performance- he plays the role just dumb enough that you will feel sympathy for him. Even when he is a total cretin, you know Allan ultimately means well, and is a scared, lonely man. Helms pulls through more this time, and is more fleshed out, and you will care more about him. Cooper plays well, but I still have a problem with his character- he is too irresponsible and at times too mean, which makes him slightly unlikable, especially after seeing a touching moment between he, his wife and his child at the end of the first film- his character doesn't totally "add up."
Phillips shows again that he has a knack for visuals. In addition to the gags, some of the scenes are very well shot, particularly a fun chase sequence, and some beautiful shots of Thailand and Bangkok. Phillips is a gifted visual artist. And despite the mean nature of the script by Craig Mazin, it is still a well-structured film, and is written reasonably well.
I really, honestly enjoyed this film. Even though the set-up and pay-off are almost identical to the first film, making it feel more like a remake than a sequel, it is still highly enjoyable. (I didn't even mention the funny drug-monkey or Jeong's uproarious performances as Chow.)
I'm going to give this a pretty-good 7 out of 10. It's a little too dark and violent, and re-treads the original too much, but it's still a fun ride, and is worth watching for fans of the original.