--- title: "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 21 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 21 reviews: 7 positive, 11 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics find the sequel funny but uneven: of twenty-one reviews, eleven are mixed, seven positive, three negative. The praise clusters in two places. The first is the cast, above all Will Ferrell, whose improvised set pieces and oblivious Ron Burgundy carry the film for most reviewers. The second is the satire of rolling cable news, which several critics think is the film’s best idea. The reservations cluster just as tightly. The commonest complaint is length, and many reviews add recycled gags and a middle and final act that sag. The spread is wide, from the mid-30s to the mid-80s. Slant dismisses it as bloated and limp, the Los Angeles Times finds it overstuffed and The Wrap exhausting, while Paste is the warmest, treating it as a continuation rather than a repeat. Steve Carell’s Brick divides them: HeyUGuys says he steals the film, Digital Spy says his scenes wear thin. ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Rating 4/5. 13 December 2013. Harley finds the sequel overlong and too reliant on recycled jokes, but says its fresh comic energy keeps it entertaining. He especially praises Ferrell’s improvised episode involving wanking and sharks. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review/) ## Variety — Scott Foundas Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2013. Foundas finds the sequel generously funny and welcome, even if it is less quotable than the original. He especially praises the cast’s improvisational energy and the film’s satire of sensationalized television news. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review-1200943015/) ## Film Comment — R. Emmet Sweeney Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The standfirst suggests an enthusiastic verdict on the film’s comedy. It singles out the anarchic brio of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s approach. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-anchorman-2-the-legend-continues/) ## Screen Daily — Brent Simon Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2013. Simon presents the sequel favorably, calling it every bit as oddly extravagant as the original. The accessible standfirst singles out its epic weirdness as the chief virtue. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues/5064757.article) ## The AV Club — Ben Kenigsberg Rating B-. 18 December 2013. Kenigsberg finds the sequel scattershot, with plenty of hits and misses, but suggests it may grow funnier with repeat viewings. He praises its sharp idea about cable news normalizing sensationalism and unverified reporting, while noting that some scenes and subplots misfire. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/there-are-hits-and-misses-aplenty-in-anchorman-2-the-l-1798179024) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2013. McCarthy finds the sequel funny and bawdy, though it takes time to hit its stride and loses focus as the plot gives way to sketches. He singles out Will Ferrell’s performance and his exchanges with Meagan Good and James Marsden as particular highlights. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/anchorman-2-legend-continues-film-2-666003/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2013. The review finds the comedy often funny but ultimately disappointing because it could have been better. It praises Brick’s disturbingly funny romance and Ron’s performance as a blind man. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/anchor-man-2-the-legend-continues-film-review-9017434.html) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2013. Edelstein finds the sequel excessive and uneven but ultimately worthy of Ron Burgundy. He singles out a quieter sequence about Ron, Veronica, their son, and a wounded shark as the film’s most moving and hopeful stretch. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/12/movie-review-anchorman-2-the-legend-continues.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint could be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-2013) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2013. Jolin finds the film overlong and uneven, but says it still delivers considerable laughter and pointed satire. He singles out Ferrell’s newsroom scenes and the film’s defense of investigative journalism, while criticizing the repeated gags and stretched segments. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/anchorman-2-legend-continues-review/) ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Rating 3/5. Papamichael presents the sequel as a rib-tickling continuation, praising Will Ferrell’s eccentrically florid comedy. The available excerpt cuts off before revealing any specific complaint or fuller verdict. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tmctql/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues/) ## The Guardian — Andrew Pulver Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2013. Pulver finds the sequel uneven, but says it should please Ron Burgundy’s fans. He praises its regular run of strong gags, while faulting the sagging middle and final acts. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/16/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 16 December 2013. The review calls the sequel perfectly adequate rather than a top story. The available metadata offers no specific praise or complaint beyond that muted verdict. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin Rating 1.5/4. 17 December 2013. Cabin finds the sequel a bloated, limp comedy that recycles old jokes and ideas. He singles out the comedians as its only noteworthy element, while criticizing the constrained performances and pandering storyline. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues/) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2013. Sharkey finds the sequel overlong and overstuffed, though its characters provide distinct pleasures. She especially praises Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig’s strange, funny romantic chemistry. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-anchorman-2-review-20131218-story.html) ## Paste — Michael Burgin Rating 8.4/10. 19 December 2013. Burgin finds the sequel a compelling continuation rather than a repetition of the original. He praises the cast’s committed performances and the film’s bursts of inventive, tear-inducing absurdity. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/anchorman/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 3/5. 16 December 2013. Lambie finds the sequel uneven, with less freshness and creativity than the original, though its best scenes still deliver laughs. He praises the intimate, character-based moments for recapturing the original’s inventive comic spirit. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/anchorman-2-review-2/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Rating 3/5. 16 December 2013. Reynolds finds the sequel funny and satisfying for devoted fans, though overlong and short on memorable one-liners. He praises Ron Burgundy’s obliviousness and the film’s satirical take on rolling news, but says Brick’s scenes wear thin. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a536687/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review-ron-burgundy-returns/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 3/5. 16 December 2013. The critic finds the sequel hilarious and entertaining, but increasingly self-indulgent and weakened by a disappointing finale. He especially praises Steve Carell’s Brick Tamland, who steals the show and balances the ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2013. The critic finds the film manic and unpredictable, with comedy that survives through constant replacement of failed jokes and subplots. He singles out Burgundy’s industrial-scale ability to survive blunders, while criticizing the film’s persistent insensitivity. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/anchorman-12-the-legend-continues-2013-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2013. The critic finds the film’s barrage of jokes intermittently funny but ultimately flimsy and exhausting. They praise its supply of comic ideas while faulting the lack of structure and meaningful roles for women. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/anchorman-2-review-will-ferrell-sequel-sketchy-sketch-sketch-movie/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues.md