Stupefyingly lackluster.
Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:1
Rotten:33
Average Rating:3.1/10
Consensus: Unable to match the suspense and titilation of its predecessor, Basic Instinct 2 boasts a plot so ludicrous and predictable it borders on "so-bad-it's-good."
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong sexuality, nudity, violence, language and some drug content.
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Mar 31, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $5,851,188
Synopsis: In BASIC INSTINCT 2, a sequel to the 1992 original, Sharon Stone resumes the role that first made her famous. Beautiful American author Catherine Tramell (Stone) is living in London when she is... In BASIC INSTINCT 2, a sequel to the 1992 original, Sharon Stone resumes the role that first made her famous. Beautiful American author Catherine Tramell (Stone) is living in London when she is involved in a sexually charged car accident leading to the scandalous death of a famous British athlete. Raunchy and irreverent, Tramell likes to shock people with both her words and her actions. Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey), who is evaluating her for trial at the request of Det. Superintendent Roy Washburn (David Thewlis), is no exception. Just coming out of a divorce and facing the resurrection of an old situation that could ruin his career, Glass is slowly but surely sucked into Tramell's web when he takes her on as a private therapy client. Day by day Glass realizes that she has infiltrated more of his personal relationships, which also leads him to question why so many people in his circle are suffering questionable fates. Each time Glass is convinced that Tramell is guilty, she diverts suspicion in another direction. Does gossip magazine writer Adam Towers (Hugh Dancy) plan to reveal a deadly decision that Glass made in his past? Is Det. Washburn really the upstanding cop he appears to be? Is Glass's ex-wife, Denise (Indira Varma) trying to sabotage his career? The twists and turns in the plot keep everyone guessing in this psychological thriller, which is directed by Michael Caton-Jones (THIS BOY'S LIFE, THE JACKAL). [More]
Starring: Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, Charlotte Rampling, David Thewlis
Starring: Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, Charlotte Rampling, David Thewlis, Hugh Dancy, Indira Varma
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Screenwriter: Henry Bean
Producer: Mario Kassar, Joel B. Michaels, Joe Eszterhas, Andrew G. Vagna, Mark Albela, Volker Shauz, Denise O'Dell
Composer: John Murphy
Studio: MGM/UA
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Reviews for Basic Instinct 2
Like many sequels this is actually a remake, and it suffers from the law of diminishing returns.
The plot, already mired in nonsensical backstory, collapses with the late-inning introduction of a tired metafictional device (not to mention a wildly lunging Usual Suspects twist).
Basic Instinct 2 has a stylish look and a few sexy moments, but the plot goes from confusing to implausible to absolutely ludicrous in the final sequence.
The 1992 phenomenon was creepy, tense and sexually charged in a bold yet tawdry way. This sequel lacks even a shred of those elements.
If you're trying to reinvigorate the art of the stylish thriller, the movie you come up with needs to be stylish and it needs to be thrilling. Basic Instinct 2, written by Leora Barish and Henry Bean and directed by Michael Caton-Jones, is neither.
What Basic Instinct 2 is missing, besides any of the trashy good fun of the original, is a subtitle. Here's a suggestion: A Girl's Guide to Dressing for Her Shrink.
This film is unable to involve, entertain, or titillate. Basically, it stinks.
At this point, there are inflatable toys that are livelier than Stone, but how can you tell the difference? Basic Instinct 2 is not an erotic thriller. It's taxidermy.
As with the first film, BI2 abounds with red herrings and misdirection, and comes up with an equally ambiguous Did she or didn't she? ending. But there are problems here beyond its staleness.
Using the same basic plot as 1992's original, BI2 feels less like a sequel than a remake whose shelf life has expired.
The only real intrigue comes in the film's risky flirtation with high camp.
The original movie lacked sense, but it did possess that sizzle. This one has neither.
In the end, this is a movie that makes the original Basic Instinct look good. And in a way, that's quite a feat.
The only real suspense in Basic Instinct 2 is whether Stone will or won't reprise the scene that she once absurdly claimed she was tricked into doing.
Most sequels are unnecessary, and this one does nothing to break the pattern.
Basic Instinct 2 seems aimed at two audiences: men in raincoats in dark theaters and graduate students in film studies.
But most of the conversation in the lobby will revolve around who designed SS's clothes and jewelry. That's the way Ms. Stone wants it, and that's the way it is.
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