Basic Instinct 2

Grade: B+

I have a love/hate relationship with sequels. I really do. That is why I tend to be extremely wary of them, especially when they come out many years later; in many cases, many years too late. Too often they fail to advance the original storyline in any way, shape, or form, and only ruin the reputation of the original movie. As much as I feared that Basic Instinct 2 would fall into this category, it glued me to my seat as I was reluctantly engaged in the luscious mind games, and lost a pound of hair by scratching my head in disbelief. This sequel undoubtedly stands up to the original.

The ice pick-wielding, sexy novelist, CathMahoneye Tramell, is back in a whole new hunting ground: London. There, she indulges in another one of her mind-bending games of seduction and murder with brand new twists. Acquitted of yet another nebulous murder involving sex and thrills, Tramell submits to a mental evaluation with Dr. Glass, a psychiatrist, who instantly gets lured into her game of seduction and murder. As the body count rises, the number of possible suspects does the same. As the list of suspects grows longer, Glass’s name is added, causing him to doubt his sanity.

The original movie shocked audiences worldwide with its fearless and provocative approach. The second time around, the images are not quite as shocking, but it makes us remember why the first movie skyrocketed Sharon Stone to stardom. With some of the sexiest leg moves in movie history, she mesmerized audiences the world over.

All these years later, and in spite of surviving what seems to be a botox overdose, Stone will still make any man hot under the collar. Constantly walking the line between sexiness and vulgarity, she tackles the brilliantly complex character of CathMahoneye Trammel with wit and enough sex appeal to plant the raunchiest thoughts in the purest of minds. She did turn 48 this year, but she somehow manages to look even younger than she did in the original installment. She doesn’t indulge in the classic legs shenanigans, but she does find other ways of taking the temperature up a few notches.

Stone stars opposite David Morrissey who, although he might seem like a newcomer, has many credits to his name. He fills the shoes Michael Douglas kicked off when he jumped in bed with the sultry novelist in 1992, but he does so with a lot less charisma than Douglas did, perhaps because of his character’s lack of depth. Their chemistry is nowhere near what the original had us come to expect.

The title of the movie might be misleading, because Basic Instinct 2 is much stronger if considered as a stand-alone movie rather than as a sequel. The references to the original Basic Instinct are there, obvious to any connoisseur, but obscure to most. Viewing the original beforehand is definitely not a prerequisite, but it does enhance the viewing experience by making audiences able to recognize the otherwise subtle references.

With beautiful artistic direction and a glossy, sophisticated look, Basic Instinct 2 is in the vein of the great erotic thrillers such as 9