“Zoolander 2” hit theaters Feb. 12. The much-hyped sequel to the 2001 megahit returned much of the cast while bulking up with even more stars, many of whom have entered the limelight since the release of the original. Ben Stiller (“Meet the Parents”), Owen Wilson (“Wedding Crashers”) and Will Ferrell (“Anchorman 2”) return to the film among others. Penelope Cruz (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids”) and Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”) join the original stars to give the cast even more name recognition.

Although the cast is certainly larger and stronger when it comes to star power, the film itself fails to meet the expectation of the original. Many of the jokes and humor allude to those from the first film. As is often the case with sequels in comedy series, the film struggles to stand up to the quality of the original. The characters are very simple and well-remembered from the first film, which leaves little room for the audience to be engaged in getting to know them any better. Additionally, the plot is very similar, which provides even further grounds for the audience to be a little bored by the story. Lack of novelty is certainly a major problem in any film but, in the case of a sequel, it comes with less punishment. The acting is cheesy—we knew that would be true from the original. The characters are dim-witted—we knew that from the original as well. The aesthetic is 15 years newer—also to be expected. The plot is silly—you get the point.

At the end of the day we go to see films such as “Zoolander 2” for nostalgia. The original is a beloved comedy for our generation, and anyone loyal to the original will still be moderately entertained by the shenanigans of the characters we remember so well from 15 years ago. The jokes, albeit mostly the same jokes, are still funny and we enjoy attaching the humor and familiarity to an old favorite. At the end of the day, no one was ever under the impression that “Zoolander 2” would be an award nominee, and many of us probably knew it would not be as fun as the original. Yet, it is still worth seeing for a few more cheap laughs and nostalgic memories spurred by references to the movie so many already thoroughly enjoyed years ago.