Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Movie Review

Do you want to watch Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues? Find out here if this movie is worth it.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) is a comedy movie starring Will Ferrell as the titular anchorman, called Ron Burgundy.

Anchorman 2 The Legend Continues Movie Review

This is a sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and the movie continues the story of this charismatic news anchor.

Alongside Ferrell, the film stars an amazing cast of well-known and talented comedy actors, such as Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, and David Koechner, all of whom appeared in the previous movie.

In the sequel, James Marsden, Harrison Ford, and Kristen Wiig join this dynamic cast. So here’s what we thought about the movie.

Our Review

The Good

The original cast (Ferrell, Rudd, Carell, and Koechner) continue to be lots of fun. Even when the written material is not the strongest, this cast is firing on all cylinders and has great comedic moments.

Carell’s Brick Tamland in particular has some great sequences, especially during the hilarious battle sequences.

Kristen Wiig is a strong addition to this film, providing plenty of great chuckles. Wiig brilliantly plays Chani Lastnamé, a simple-minded assistant that manages to strike up a romance with Carell’s Brick.

As an experienced comedy actress, Wiig brings her a-game to the movie and establishes great comedic chemistry with Carell.

Meagan Good and James Marsden are also good additions to the cast. They both act as foils for Burgundy, though we wish these characters could have been a little more fleshed out. 

Good’s Linda Jackson is great as a GNN manager but we wish she had more screen time. Marsden’s competing anchorman is an absolute hoot and gives Ferrell a compelling rival. Like Good, Marsden could have done with additional screen time.

Though his role is ridiculously small, Harrison Ford’s antagonistic role is menacingly entertaining. As Mack Tannen, Ford portrays Burgundy’s brutal boss and a renowned news anchor. This is a nice change of pace for Ford, who so often plays heroic characters. 

Ferrell continues to shine as Ron Burgundy, who manages to be a protagonist that you can’t help but root for despite his glaring flaws.

Burgundy will go down in history as one of Ferrell’s most iconic characters, alongside Buddy in the 2003 Christmas comedy Elf.

In terms of the best scenes, we particularly like the massive fight scene. Anchorman 2 delivers a hilarious and surprisingly well-choreographed brawl between Burgundy’s crew and some rival news channels.

Be sure to keep an eye out for some famous faces in this scene as it is packed with surprise cameos.

The Bad

Perhaps one of the biggest issues of this film is how unnecessary it feels. Though fans wanted a follow-up to the original film, the sequel was stuck in development hell for a long time.

Like many comedy sequels, this film feels completely unnecessary, adding very little to the world of Ron Burgundy.

This irrelevance is reflected in the film’s themes. The first film had plenty to say about the world of news reading and the misogyny that plagues it, offering an intelligent yet funny satire.

Anchorman 2 continues this satire, but it doesn’t feel like it has anything new to add to the conversation. Instead, it merely repeats many of these themes.

For instance, the film sets up Veronica Corningstone (Applegate) to be the first women news anchor but then does very little with this plot.

Speaking of Corningstone, despite having an outstanding role in the original, Christina Applegate as Corningstone is given very little to do. In the first film, Applegate’s character has a fun dynamic with Ferrel’s Ron Burgundy, being unafraid to challenge him.

In this sequel, Corningstone is merely Burgundy’s estranged wife, resulting in Applegate having to play a thankless and uninteresting role.

As a result, none of the commentary surrounding the misogyny in the news and entertainment industries is able to land when the female lead is pushed to the side.

Should You Watch Anchorman 2?

If you enjoyed the sequel and are looking for a cheap laugh, Anchorman 2 is a great watch. It’s particularly fun to watch with a group of friends and a massive bowl of popcorn.

However, if you want something with a little more clever comedy, Anchorman 2 is not the movie for you.

Final Thoughts

Overall, though the film offers a few laughs and a dynamic action scene, it is inferior to its predecessor. It continues the trend of comedy sequels being nowhere near as funny or well-crafted as the original. 

This movie is carried by the cast, who provide rib-tickling performances that you’re sure to remember. Ferrell, Carell, and Wiig are particular stand-outs, enhancing what could otherwise be quite a dull affair.

We give Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 3 out of 5 stars.

If you liked this article, you might enjoy our post, ‘First Man Movie Review‘.

Max Roberts