Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) - 6/10

I’m nervous. I’ve been nervous since this was announced, but finally sitting down with Spinal Tap II finds me just hoping that it’s not terrible. It’s not going to match the original I know, nothing could, but surely they wouldn’t do this if they weren’t confident. We’re mockumenting again. With Director Martin DiBergi (Rob Reiner) returning to tells us that the ageing band are back together for one final contracted concert. He brings us up to speed where Nigel’s (Christopher Guest) selling cheese, David’s (Michael McKean) writing hold music and Derek (Harry Shearer) runs a glue museum. They need a drummer of course if they’re going to play live, cue a hysterical run through a who’s who of perspective guests with Lars Ulrich, Questlove and Chad Smith, but it’s Didi (Valarie Franco) who gets the gig, to take on the curse of the stool, as they get ready to go out with a bang in New Orleans. There’s still friction though between Nigel and David, as they rehearse in the studio, do some exercise, try on some questionable wardrobe and get visits from Paul McCartney and Elton John. Is it funny though? It is, purely for the perfect comic timing of the edit, which is sharp and thrifty. It’s the Nigel and David show. Everyone’s good, but the chemistry between Guest and McKean is absolutely fantastic. It does feel a bit one dimensional compared to the original, but with the final gig as the focus, it always feels like it’s got something brewing. The gig when it arrives is great, amped up fun that addresses all the elephants in the room. It’s not as good as This is Spinal Tap. It was never going to be, but it’s still fun, has plenty of laughs and well worth a watch for any fans of the original.

6/10