Review of Magic Mike XXL (2015) by Glenn G — 04 Jul 2015

Everything I feared the first Magic Mike would be, but worse. Whereas Magic Mike managed to overturn preconceptions of the concept and deliver a fun yet well constructed drama, XXL plays up to every stereotype; it's cheap, sleazy, at times arrogant and misogynistic, but even more surprisingly is just plain boring.

Any sense of characterisation or plot from the first film is swiftly dumped. The plot (calling it as such is being incredibly generous) makes no sense, the characters are totally vacuous, but worst of all even the main dance routines are hugely disappointing.

Whereas they were some of the glitzy highlights of the first film, here they are downgraded to sweaty, aggressive thrusting which bore rather than tantalise and are so rough are almost uncomfortable to watch.

Bar the one amusing scene in the gas station, XXL is a flaccid flop on all counts. Changing Tatum should be ashamed that he had anything to do with this brazen cash-cow of a sequel.