Hot Tub Time Machine was one of those rare comedies that looked awful on the surface, and yet had a certain charm and geniality about it – fast-paced, frivolous and most importantly, very funny. The film worked as a throwback of sorts to 80s cinema, with a playful, tongue-in-cheek take on the time-travelling genre, which Steve Pink affectionately ridiculed and worshipped in equal measure. But upon leaving the cinema it didn’t once feel like a film that needed a sequel, however with success comes studio pressure, and with studio pressure comes superfluous continuations of a franchise that doesn’t need to be continued, and this uninspiring piece of cinema sadly vindicates any such apprehensions.

We reconnect with Lou (Rob Corddry) and Nick (Craig Robinson) – multimillionaires, living off the success of others following their exploits in the preceding endeavour, where time travelling has given them the benefit of ‘creating’ ideas that technically haven’t been created yet, like Google (“Lougle”). However Lou’s abrasive, vulgar nature makes him a target, and at a grandiose party in his mansion he is shot dead by a mystery killer. So alongside his best friend and son, Jacob (Clark Duke) they attempt to go back in time and prevent the assassination from taking place – but instead find themselves 10 years into the future, where they must trace their steps back, picking up the blissfully innocuous Adam Jr. (Adam Scott) along the way.

Taking a leaf out of the book of 22 Jump Street, there is a meta style of comedy implemented, though the self-referential humour is occasionally, and somewhat painfully, spot on. Such as when they make a joke that doing it a third time would “be tacky”. Damn right it would. Two is more than enough, guys. The scattergun approach to joke-telling means that by mere law of averages, there is the occasional gag which works, but most misfire, while there’s a frustrating inclination to just cut to a generic close-up-of-face-while-drinking-in-a-club-montage, implemented when the jokes have seemingly dried up.

However that fast-paced nature to this narrative, and the various sub-plots in correspondence with one another, makes for a film that, at the very least, passes time well, just about managing to hold down your attention throughout. The comedy can in parts be somewhat crass and derogatory, with women and the gay community targeted in particular – but this edgy brand of comedy can work if satirical, intelligent, or crucially, when funny. But this isn’t any of those things, and thus seeks only in highlighting the offensive nature of the jokes at hand.

Hot Tub Time Machine was concerned with going back, while this sequel cares about going forward – but to be frank, it would just be better staying where it is. In regards to time travel, the only thing that crosses your mind after seeing this is whether it’s possible to travel back around 93 minutes and opt to see something else.