Basic Instinct 2 (2006)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Highly Overrated But Still Good

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The same wealthy, sexy and perverse woman from the first installment is accused of murdering her partner and as a result, she starts visiting and courting at the same time, a young psychologist with a troubled past of his own. He tries to understand her peculiar character but the more he gets involved, the more he seems attracted to her in a seduction game which is apparently out of his league. As more and more characters around them continue to die without any traces, he gets into a lot of trouble as the protagonist of the first movie, ending up in a very unexpected position.This movie tries to continue the first movie's story, using the same but much older woman antagonist but unfortunately is not able to be on par with it. Unlike its predecessor, this one does not feature as much action. On the contrary, it is slow paced and sometimes dull, focusing much more on the mystery than on the action. This is regrettable because it reduces the excitement this kind of movie could offer, making it less appealing. It's a good movie with good actors and a good plot but it falls behind in terms of action.

In all honesty, I found this sequel to have much more substance and brains than the sleazy original pop cult classic. Where the first Basic Instinct was loud, brash, gaudy and gratuitous, this one is subtle, dark, intellectual, imaginative and cerebral. The plot, storyline, and Sharon Stone herself, have all matured for the better. Gone is the bad 90s psycho nympho girl called Catherine Tramell and in comes the highly intelligent, manipulative, calm and confident older Tramell. She plays a deadly cat and mouse game with her male psychiatrist to the point where he is unable to differentiate between fact and fantasy. Her acting has matured considerably over the years and she exhibits a highly understated, subtle acting style and exudes just the right mix of seduction and threat, the perfect femme fatale. David Morrissey does great with his British accent and sensibility as the psychiatrist contrasted with Michael Douglas' boorish Nick Curran. Stone has maintained her enviable figure over the years and only looks better physically and psychologically to play the role. I highly recommend this movie to all the fans of the erotic thriller genre that was so chic in the 90s.

Released 14 years after the original, Novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) returns in this sequel, and is caught within the law again, this time in London. Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey) is assigned by the Scotland Yard to evaluate her, but lured into Tramell's seductive game.While the first film blends in sexually with mesmerizing mystery, thrills and suspense, Director Michael Caton-Jones gave this film more of a slick and sleazy soap-opera style story, leaving out much of the mystery, suspense and intrigue. What you have is a movie with over-the-top raunchy scenes, cheesier dialog, overboard drama, and an uninspiring cast, though Stone can still pull-off a cunning femme fatale portrayal.The plot goes at a pretty swift pace, but I've found the story and the acting weren't as simulating as in the first film.Grade D

I didn't expect much from this movie given the reviews. A rating of 4 doesn't help my expectations however IMDb-ratings haven't got a reputation of being accurate all the time. The first let's say half hour didn't do much for me, but the rest of the movie was OK. OK, Sharon Stone is older now. I didn't see that one coming... . Acting was good, the story was good , kept me interested until the end. Conclusion must be this movie suffers from it being a sequel. When you aren't bothered by that it's a worthwhile watch. When you want to see the young and beautiful Sharon watch part 1. For the mature and still beautiful one watch this. For a nice movie you can safely watch both although the first is better.