Spinal Tap II: critics turn the volume up to eleven – but also down to one

Forty years after This Is Spinal Tap redefined the mockumentary, Nigel Tufnel, David St Hubbins and Derek Smalls are back. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hits cinemas tonight, promising one last encore for the world’s ‘loudest band’. But does the sequel live up to the legend, or should the amps have stayed unplugged? Is the new Spinal Tap film any good? Critics in the UK and US are divided.

Sigh. I loved the first Spinal Tap film. Launched in the ‘80s when I was young and had the brain space to remember endless lines of script, I watched and re-watched it, joyously engaging in shouting dialogue in the pub with my friends. It was a work of genius.

So I’ve been anxious about this sequel. Even more so when I saw the trailers and promo shots. I was also worried that it might not be as good as the first one. Things rarely are (with a very few notable exceptions – Godfather II, Dark Knight, Terminator 2…). So maybe it was a subconscious block when I was invited to preview screenings and found I couldn’t get there. I think I was just too wary of heartbreak.

But braver souls than me got there, and so in a cowardly fashion, here is a little roundup of the best and the worst of the reviews. You will go and watch it, I’m sure, and make up your own mind. I expect I will too, now. See what you think anyway…

A warmish welcome – with caveats

The (fairly threadbare) storyline here is that the Tap are essentially forced to reunite when Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman), daughter of their late manager Ian Faith (originally played by Tony Hendra, who died in 2021), uncovers a clause in their contract demanding one final performance. Spinal Tap are forced to play one final gig to honour the terms of the contract, and so in the immortal words of Jake Blues, ‘We’re getting the band back together.’

From the get-go, many reviews acknowledge the nostalgic pleasure of seeing ‘the Tap’ together again – albeit with reservations. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are here, still bickering and blundering with deadpan delivery. The Guardian called the film “affectionately melancholy,” noting that “there’s a sadness underpinning the comedy, as these once-wild rock gods face down mortality with the same lack of self-awareness that once made them funny.”

The Financial Times was more upbeat, praising the film’s commitment to giving fans what they want. “There are moments of comic gold,” its review declared, “and the band’s chemistry is still a joy to watch. It may not break new ground, but it plays the hits well.”

Cameos also provided a boost. Paul McCartney’s brief turn has been widely mentioned, as have appearances from Elton John and Garth Brooks. “McCartney almost walks away with the film,” said the FT, “his deadpan contribution reminding you why these films work best when reality and parody collide.”

But the problems pile up

Yet for every chuckle, several reviewers found themselves cringing. The Independent was scathing: “Spinal Tap II is startlingly unfunny… a film that confuses affection with inspiration. The jokes are fewer, the timing worse, and the nostalgia feels like a hollow excuse.”

Empire was just as damning. Its verdict? “As unfunny as the original was funny.” The magazine lamented a lack of sharpness, describing the film as “a limp setlist of reheated gags and sketch-like scenes that never quite build into a song.”

The Associated Press echoes the frustration, criticising the film’s pacing. “Scenes drag on long past the punchline,” its reviewer wrote. “What was once quickfire wit now feels sluggish, as though everyone is waiting for the laugh track that never comes.”

Older men, even older jokes

One of the biggest sticking points is the reliance on callbacks. The Stonehenge gag reappears, as do nods to exploding drummers, and amps that go up to eleven. Some critics found this reassuring. Others rolled their eyes.

“The film leans so hard on nostalgia it topples over,” wrote the Independent. “It’s less a sequel than a scrapbook, recycling lines and situations with the weary air of a band forced to play their biggest hit night after night.”

Yet for some, that’s the point. The Guardian suggested the repetition had an unexpected poignancy: “They are trapped in their past, still defined by the same ridiculousness. That makes the comedy bittersweet – a reminder that the world moved on, even if Tap didn’t.”

Ageing rockers, ageing jokes

Perhaps inevitably, much of the humour now centres on the band’s advancing years. Smalls runs a glue museum, St Hubbins writes jingles for a true-crime podcast, and Tufnel runs a cheese shop – which surely has to be a nod/dig at Alex James from Blur?! These sketches earned chuckles from some reviewers, groans from others.

The FT argued they “land with just enough wit to keep the film alive,” while AP felt they “play like Saturday Night Live leftovers.”

Still, the film’s reflection on ageing struck a chord in places. The Guardian noted: “The moments where the band face their mortality head-on, however absurdly, are the most affecting. The film may not be consistently funny, but it has a heart.”

Critical consensus? A middling encore

So where does that leave the verdict? On Rotten Tomatoes the film sits at around 73%, suggesting audiences and critics alike are lukewarm but not hostile. For die-hard fans, it’s a chance to spend more time with beloved characters. For others, it’s a reminder that lightning rarely strikes twice.

The Guardian summed it up best: “It’s not as funny, not as sharp, and nowhere near as groundbreaking – but it still manages to strum a chord of nostalgia and pathos.” Empire, by contrast, dismissed it outright: “Spinal Tap II is a sequel that turns down the comedy, leaving only the feedback.”

In the end, Spinal Tap II may be judged less as a film and more as a reunion tour. For those who once memorised every line of the original, like me, the sight of Guest, McKean and Shearer back in costume may be enough. For everyone else, this might be one comeback gig best caught when it hits the small screen.

TLDR; Critics on Spinal Tap II – the best and the worst

The Guardian

“Affectionately melancholy… there’s a sadness underpinning the comedy, as these once-wild rock gods face down mortality with the same lack of self-awareness that once made them funny.”

The Independent

“Startlingly unfunny… the nostalgia feels like a hollow excuse.”

Empire

“As unfunny as the original was funny… a limp setlist of reheated gags.”

Financial Times

“There are moments of comic gold… the band’s chemistry is still a joy to watch.”

Associated Press

“Scenes drag on long past the punchline… what was once quickfire wit now feels sluggish.”

Rotten Tomatoes (critics’ score ~73%)

“Not as funny, not as sharp, and nowhere near as groundbreaking – but it still strums a chord of nostalgia and pathos.”

Watch the trailers etc