THE HANGOVER II: gave me a thumping headache

Do you remember the incredibly positive word of mouth surrounding the release of 'The Hangover' in June 2009? The film raked in almost $45 million on its opening weekend and for a couple of months it was the must see movie. It seems like everyone who saw it loved it and told their friends to see it.
Ok, now fast forward two years and the eagerly anticipated release of THE HANGOVER II. The gang of overgrown adolescents we'd grown to love were back in a crazy new adventure. On the back of that excitement the film did double the box office business on its opening weekend, but where was the positive word of mouth? Where were the glowing reviews? The only people I remember talking up the film were the cast members on the promotional circuit.
No one else is gushing about THE HANGOVER II because it's a godawful, cynical, calculating, lazy and unfunny film. It is to 'The Hangover' what 'Blues Brothers 2000' is to 'The Blues Brothers.'
Working on the basis that if it was funny the first time it'll be just as funny the second time, director Todd Phillips and his 2 co-writers have simply extracted all of the elements that made the first film so entertaining and transplanted them into a new setting. Instead of Las Vegas, Nevada it's Bangkok, Thailand providing the backdrop for the eve of wedding misadventures of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis).
I'm not trying to argue that part 2 is a carbon copy of the original because that might suggest some time and thought went into careful crafting an exact replica. Part 2 doesn't even aspire to those heights. It's nothing more than a tired retread of part 1. And the constant reference by the characters to events that happened in the original only serves to remind us how good the first film was compared to this soulless sequel.