by Brett Melnick ’12

Stolen tigers, kidnapped comrades, lost teeth, Mike Tyson and the Vegas strip: this was the formula to what some call the best comedy of the decade, “The Hangover.” The movie, directed by Todd Phillips, took audiences by surprise by earning critical acclaim and winning the Golden Globe award for best comedic motion picture.

The original movie, in case you are somehow not familiar with it, stars the “wolf pack” team of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Wes Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis). The story follows them on their scatterbrained, crazy adventures the morning after a crazy night in Las Vegas, on the search for their lost “wolf pack” friend, Doug (Justin Bartha).

Now, the team is back together for “The Hangover: Part 2.” But this time they find themselves on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, with ex-nemesis Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong); undoubtedly bound for another journey of re-tracing their footsteps in hopes of recalling yet another wild night.

Words couldn’t describe my excitement as I set foot into the theatre to see the sequel to one of my favorite movies. I bought my popcorn, my soda, and my Mike & Ikes. The lights dimmed, the previews rolled, I inched closer and closer to the edge of my seat in anticipation of two hours of raucous laughter.

Leaving the theater, I felt the complete opposite, though. I felt as if I had been cheated. Although the movie was funny and made me laugh my face off a number of times, I had heard all of these jokes before. It was almost as if the studios took the first “Hangover” movie, dressed it up, gave it a fake mustache, and called it a sequel.

Looking back, I can’t help but count the similarities between the two movies. The characters are the same, the main idea is the same, and the jokes are the same. Everything is the same.

This movie had so much potential, and yet I still came away disappointed. Young people everywhere, especially teenage males, were looking forward to this movie to build onto the original and be something greater.  Instead of living up to that expectation, the creators of the film sold out, and made the movie a spitting image of the original. “The Hangover: Part 2,” in my mind, did not live up to its potential to develop its own greatness and stand on its own as an awesome film. Having said this, I would still suggest seeing it. Just don’t expect it to be more than a bunch of gags packed into a two-hour continuation of the original.