FEATURE:
The Stonehenge Equation
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues and the Issues with Following a Classic
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THIS feature will be split…
IN THIS PHOTO: (L-R): Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins), Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls) and Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel) with (bottom right) Rob Reiner (‘Marty’ Di Bergi) in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues/PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Kaplan
into a couple of different parts. I want to spend some time with the forthcoming sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Released (in the U.K.) on 12th September, this film follows from the 1984, This Is Spinal Tap. That film is considered to be among the funniest of all time. Perhaps the funniest film ever. It is always risk follow up a classic. Think about other comedy films like Airplane! and its sequels. I also think that greatness should be left. Even if the first Spinal Tap was a success and is seen as a comedy work of genius, it seems like the sequel is going to fall very short of that standard. I am basing that on the trailer. However, with one sort of okay joke in there, I do worry about the film and how it will be received. Maybe the trailer does not do it justice. However, the story tells of David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnell, and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer) forced to reunite for one final concert. It is a tempting plot to explore. You can understand why the film has happened. With many real-life bands reuniting after years for various reasons – money, nostalgia or celebrating anniversaries – it does feel natural a film like this has come about. However, the Rob Reiner-directed film has this expectation already attached. The trailer left me somewhat cold. I was not expecting it to be as great as the first Spinal Tap film. There are some cameos in there (including Paul McCartney) and there will be some great new songs. I do think that the film will be subject to mixed reviews. I sort of wish they had left This Is Spinal Tap alone. The first film is a classic because it seemed fresh and real. Not many mocumentaries at that time. Its charm and brilliance down to the improvisation and how you felt like you were watching a real band falling apart.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is not a case of rehashing the first film and trying to modernise it. The arc and reason behind the film is logical. How this band who split are back together for a final gig. That is relevant and relatable. However, I think a lot of the comedy that worked well in the 1980s might not now. That the appeal will translate now. I want to be wrong about Spinal Tap II: The End Continues but I have a suspicion that it might fall a bit flat. As much as anything, I have such love for comedy classics. How incredible they are and how they made me feel. Sequels rarely match the originals. There will be more teasers and bits of the film released. So we get a clearer picture. I do like how we have Rob Reiner directing and the band are together. That there have been no changes or compromises there. So the pedigree is there! If Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is a success, might we see sequels of decades-old comedies coming about? Will that necessarily be a bad thing? At such a horrific time where we need laughter, relief and also some familiarity, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues does seem to hit the spot. I hope it will! Like the famous Stonehenge scene in the 1984 film – Nigel Tufnel suggests staging a Druid-themed show and asks the band’s manager, Ian Faith, to order a Stonehenge trilithon. However, Tufnel mislabels its dimensions, and the resulting prop is only 18 inches (46 cm) high rather than 18 feet (5.5 m) –, something that should be epic and grand is rather underwhelming and misjudged. The talent on display, including the new members of the cast, is undeniable. However, I wonder what the reason for the film is, beyond getting together these beloved characters. I hope the wait is worth it. I get a feeling Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is going to be meagre compared to its predecessor. It brings back the question as to whether it is too much of a risk trying to follow up a classic. A masterpiece comedy. At a moment when comedy films seem like a rarity and the ones we do have are pretty hit and miss, I feel there is a demand and niche when it comes to music-based comedies. However, something new and not a sequel. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues might please some of the critics and fans of the original, and yet I feel it is going to be a vastly inferior follow-up to a film released…
FOUR decades ago.