Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (15A) ****
 
Comedy sequels don’t historically deliver the laughs, but the good news is that Anchorman 2 is a hoot. The movie’s as patchy as they come (and quite like the original in that respect) but you’ll be too busy laughing at the highlights to count its shortcomings.
 
Anchorman 2 sees Will Ferrell in fine form as newsreader Ron, who’s heralding in the 1980s in something of a crisis. He’s lost his job and having marital strife with the missus (Christina Applegate) whose career soars while his flounders.
 
When he’s sacked from his job at a marine amusement park amid accusations of handling fish inappropriately, Ron looks doomed  -  until a promising job offer comes in.
 
A wealthy businessman plans to launch a new 24-hour news channel and offers the San Diego presenter a graveyard slot with his team. Once again, Ron gets to work with dim-witted weatherman Brick (Steve Carell), all-round sex panther Brian (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ (David Koechner).
 
But there’s trouble  -  egomaniac Ron is not happy with their middle-of-the-night slot, his female boss or his savvy broadcasting rival Jack Lime (James Marsden). Can he survive and thrive in this competitive new environment.
 
The original Anchorman threw up so many fun moments that it’s easy to forget it was a patchy affair. It worked because the gags came along at such a zippy pace that you could skim over the iffy ones and enjoy the highlights.
 
Ferrell and director Adam McKay offer up a similar premise here and it’s to their and the team’s great credit that they try and do something new with it.
 
There’s plenty of spot-on satire about what constitutes news, while the zany spirit of the original is channelled as the cast are allowed dial up the silliness.
 
Ultimately, this means that some gags work better than others. A scene where Ron dines with a black family is more cringy than funny, while a fledging romance between Brick and a new staff member feels contrived in its attempt to milk laughs.
 
 
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (12A) ****
 
BEN STILLER DOES an impressive job on both sides of the camera in this touching story of an office worker who dreams of another life.
 
The movie takes the concept of James Thurber’s famous short story and runs a mile with it, fleshing into a charming end-of-year fairytale. All sorts of unlikely miracles happen as the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred. It’s a movie that will require you to leave your cynicism in the foyer.
 
Stiller dials down the deadpan delivery which has become his stock in trade to play Walter. He’s a photo archivist for Life Magazine, who loves his job and an ordered, routine life.
 
When a sharp-suited businessman (Adam Scott) takes over the company and promptly starts culling staff, Walter is forced to re-evaluate his life. To complicate matters, he’s smitten with a new member of staff (Kristen Wiig) who he can’t summon up the nerve to ask out.
 
But we gradually get to see another side of Walter  -  the adventurer in his imagination who scales mountains, rescues people from burning buildings and always gets the girl.
 
Walter Mitty is the type of story that requires a leap of faith from its audience, but the paybacks are numerous.
 
A quirky ‘what if’ tale wrapped up on a big-budget blockbuster, Stiller and his production team make great use of locations and graphics to bring the wacky world inside Walter’s head to life. What emerges is a flawed but lovely fairytale about the power of imagination