Hot Tub Time Machine II superior to original

Though it may be hard to believe, "Hot Tub Time Machine II" (2015) is not easy to write off. Unlike Steve Pink’s original "Hot Tub Time Machine," the 2010 pick of the year for those who love crude humor, "Hot Tube Time Machine II," though even goofier, is creative and incredibly self-aware. While the humor of the first movie resonated with its mainstream audiences, in retrospect the film was excessive, pointless and surprisingly dark. Instead, Steve Pink’s 2015 work -- with returning cast members Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke -- is more ridiculous, more eccentric and in many ways smarter, despite its shake-your-head-worthy stupidity. As the characters’ and the audience’s understandings of the space-time continuum become less and less clear, the film's absurdity increases.

Strangely, the sequel is both similar to "Hot Tub Time Machine" – even paying homage to many of the original film's jokes – and different from it. The two fundamental plot differences between this film and the original are that the machine now takes the protagonists to the future (not their '80s ski weekend) and that an original member of the trio, Adam (played by John Cusack), is replaced by his son (played by Adam Scott of "Parks and Recreation" (2009-2015)). Saturated with satire, Pink’s vision of 2025 is a surprisingly witty backdrop for the shenanigans in which this motley crew of men engage. From holographic iPhone-esque devicesthat would put the size of the most recent 6+ to shame to a dark comedic bit on the violent and exploitative nature of modern-day television, the future in "HTTM2" is a messed-up realm of extreme excess and deep-rooted issues.

The film's unexpected wit carries over to a consciously astute mockery of the premise of both itself and its predecessor, as well as to the topic of time travel itself. While jokes from the original film are repeated, each iteration contains a self-deprecating irony regarding the absurdity of the first film's plot. These brief moments of self-aware lucidity are a breath of fresh air when compared to the superficial silliness that characterized the plot of the first film. This self-deprecating technique makes the moments of cleverness "Hot Tub Time Machine II" exceptionally funny. Such moments remind the conscious viewer that Pink’s jokes are much smarter than one might expect from the crude situations in which the characters are placed. The film contains scenes that are reminders of the obscene, misogynistic humor that permeates this film's genre: A disconcerting homophobic scene tries to become less offensive and more self-mocking by featuring a joke about the future decade's increasingly more liberated opinions regarding sexuality, and a disturbing hospital scene features a large needle coming in contact with Adam Scott’s scrotum.But such scenes lie within a conscientious framework that, though often poorly, addresses the fact that characters' issues of development, depression, substance abuse and cycles of human nature are only able to be aided by the potential existence of alternate universes. Yes, "Hot Tub Time Machine II" does, in fact, “go there.”

This film is a bizarre combination of obnoxious characters who learn few life lessons, a dystopian future society with a surprising amount of detail and the typical bro-humor tropes that permeate the genre. These factors make "Hot Tub Time Machine II" a bit frantic and confusing, but not altogether terrible. In fact, such frantic behavior is mirrored in Adam Scott’s character, Adam Jr.; replacing a mediocre Cusack, who brought a somber and weary tone to the last flick, Scott is a moral reflector of the insane society in which he lives. Playing his typical good-boy-gone-wild role, Scott brings a sense of stability to the viewing experience. He echoes the thoughts of the viewer when absurdist situations arise and, as he goes on a wild trip, makes the audience laugh with his disorientation.

"Hot Tub Time Machine II" is futile, obscene, homophobic and problematic. However, the film is more than just the sum of its parts. The few exceptions to these negative aspects allow the film to be much more refreshing than "Hot Tub Time Machine," and its satirical and self-aware mockery make it a bit more complicated and surprisingly smarter than the average viewer may anticipate.