I watched Zoolander 2 for the first time last week. Being such a huge fan of the original Zoolander, I was pretty optimistic despite the heap of Razzies the film was nominated for and it's critical reception. I didn't think it could be as bad as what was being said, but unfortunately it wasn't just bad, it was a sign. A sign that today's comedy film just doesn't have the same originality, the same wit and the same stupidity and ridiculousness that made the comedy genre so prominent in the first place. Now, I understand that humour is subjective, but hear me out.

How many of the biggest publicised comedy films of the last five or so years have been sequels to classic comedies? Too many. We're talking not just the likes of Zoolander, but Dumb and Dumber and Anchorman are other examples that stick in mind. How many have done well critically or financially? Meh. Nobody has really cared about them. That's the issue. They're often too late to the party that nobody cares, or they can't keep up with today's humour so they just end up playing on the same jokes that made the first film funny. Nostalgia. Whilst I did to some extent like the fight scene at the end of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, it died after maybe the first few seconds when it got ridiculous, and didn't seem like it fit in this world. It relied too heavily on nostalgia and celebrity cameos (we'll get it that) that it just became a problem rather than a joke.

You can't re-create a scene in these sequels that has the same 'umpth' as the original joke did. Zoolander 2 relied on this too much, and whilst there were parts where I made have cracked a smile, this film felt so lazy and unoriginal that I just felt disappointed and worried for where the comedy will go. Throwing a celebrity cameo in your film every few minutes isn't funny, it's not a joke. It's just jarring and throws you off course for you to say, 'ooh look it's Katy Perry.' You'll find yourself saying this so much that you get bored. What do these celebrities really have to add to the story? Where are the jokes? Where is the magic?

I look at last year's Sausage Party, an original and sometimes clever movie by Seth Rogan, which I liked initially - but on multiple showings it started to bug me. Was it that funny really? The film relies heavily on cursing and sex jokes, and you may not see it at first - but there didn't feel like anything was remotely memorable to take away from this movie that may have made you laugh other than the orgy scene, which goes on way, way too long and get's stale very quickly. It's honestly quite sad. I don't think there are many directors and writers who work in this genre today that are actually quite good at what they do, aside from Edgar Wright and the duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller as examples.

Airplane is a film I could watch over and over again for it's clever, obscene jokes that unfortunately, wouldn't be looked on as appropriate today. But it went out to do something different. Just like Mel Brooks, who I think is the undisputed king of comedy. Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs are two of the most iconic films by him and two of my favourites. His satirical views and ways of connecting with his audience are original and magical. It's why filmmakers like Edgar Wright are so good at what they do today. They don't just bash out some unoriginal braindead film that they think mass audiences will just laugh at anyway - they put time into cementing their comedy, by thinking what will make them and their audiences laugh. They're original, thoughtful and artful. Humour is subjective - but sequels and celebrities just aren't enough to make people laugh. Dare to do something different.