Ted 2 - Am I weird in that I enjoyed this one more than the last?

I’ve been a huge fan of Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Family Guy’ ever since it aired, so I was delighted when he made ‘Ted’ – the tale of a foul-mouthed (but loveable) teddy bear who came to life for no real reason.  And, it seemed that the majority of cinema-goers agreed with me.  Ted was a massive hit and, I suppose in Hollywood terms, that means that a sequel is inevitable.

So, the – not that imaginatively-titled – ‘Ted 2’ was born.  And, from what I gathered, reviews were mixed.  Most said that it was ‘okay’ – pointing out that there are parts that make you laugh, but long areas where the jokes get a little thin.  Others said that it was just a ‘re-tread’ of the first one and not original enough to warrant being a classic in its own right.

Now, I loved the original.  I laughed all the way through, so perhaps – because if the lukewarm reviews part 2 was receiving – I went into the cinema with low expectations.  Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised.  Perhaps I should have watched the original just before the sequel – that way I could compare which one I laughed more in.  Granted, I haven’t seen the first one for a year or so, but I found I was actually laughing more in the second one than I did in the first!

Mark Wahlberg returns for the sequel and, not being one to take comedic roles that often, again does well to get the laughs.  Especially when he’s opposite the ‘true’ star of the film – the computer-generated furry bear himself, Ted (voiced in the style of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin by Seth MacFarlane).  The only notable absence from the cast list is Mila Kurnis, who was unable to reprise her role as Wahlberg’s love interest due to her real-life pregnancy.  She’s replaced by Amanda Seyfried who does well to ‘airdrop’ herself into the mix as a blatant replacement love interest.

Yes, there’s not an awful lot of ‘plot, character development, or storyline,’ but the jokes do come thick and fast.  Basically, if you like Family Guy (or should I say Family Guy’s irreverent and often adult and vulgar!) humour, then you should already have seen Ted and therefore should appreciate its sequel.  If you’re not really sure of the ‘tone’ of the film and whether you’ll like it, I suggest you look up clips of either Family Guy or Ted online and see if you’ll go for this particular brand of humour.

Don’t be too swayed by the negative reviews.  Perhaps you should allow yourself to lower your expectations as I did and find yourself pleasantly surprised?  Maybe if I watched the original again I’d realise that it was in fact superior, but, I’m happy to have Ted back and I think that it makes a great compendium piece.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one