Ticket 2 Ride

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) is a whimsical, goofy sequel to the smash hit This is Spinal Tap released in 1984. Of course the new film lacks the originality and the naive charm of the first film. I don’t believe Rob Reiner and company set out to match the impact of that first film. How could they?

I read, and reviewed, the book that Reiner released some months ago detailing the making of the original film, and the story of how the film sequel came to be. I believe that Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shear with Spinal Tap II were just paying homage to the first film and just having a bit of fun at their own expense. To say the sequel isn’t as good as the original, everyone knew and expected it. Inconceivable! (To borrow dialogue from a different Reiner film.)

And now to the elephant in the room. Reiner’s death certainly hangs over this film. It’s impossible to watch this film, or anything involving Spinal Tap and not imagine Rob and Michelle Reiner’s tragic deaths. Spinal Tap itself is about untimely events and the historic demise of their drummers. Mortality is also present in this film as these old rockers give it one more go, before they go. The characters have moved on with theirs lives but never really finished writing the Spinal Tap story, and to stage a last concert, they must find a replacement drummer who is not frightened of their own onstage demise.

To have Paul McCartney and Elton John show up in the film is apropos, they are in fact the defacto keepers of the rock and roll flame, guardians of arena rock. Paul giving songwriting advice is fun. Elton pounding away at the keys while the Stonehenge display is lowered down to the stage speaks to his own outlandish rock pageantry. Thankfully, no aging rockstars were injured or maimed in the making of this film.

Someday I may be able to watch this, or other Rob Reiner film and not immediately think of his murder. That would be a good thing, as most of his films were uplifting or about finding happiness.