Pretty good 2nd effort

Rating: 8/10 (2 July 2015)

I loved Magic Mike. I enjoyed XXL as well, but it just isn't as good as the original, mostly because of the complete lack of a cohesive storyline. I liked that all the main guys got their own back-stories in this movie, but I think that that, combined with the absence of a over-arching story, gave an overall disjointed effect. I was left with the feeling of having binge-watched a bunch of "Magic Mike the series" episodes, which is not un-enjoyable, but it does not make it a movie. However, there were lots of killer moves, the guys were all fabulous and there was tons of eye candy to enjoy. I loved the "Queen" angle and thought that Jada Pinkett Smith was perfect in her role. I thought Elizabeth Banks' small roll was wonderful as well, but I wasn't a huge fan of Angie MacDowell's character and felt that her storyline was forced and weird (although the Richie bit at the end was hilarious!).