Movie Review: Magic Mike XXL

Much like the Step-Up franchise, nobody goes to a Magic Mike film expecting groundbreaking and profound storyline and some top notch acting. There was none of that here. But that's not to say Magic Mike XXL was terrible because it wasn't. Sure, it didn't offer much in terms of premise - it was your typical road trip film just with male strippers in it - and it came off as more superficial than it's predecessor, but the writing was surprisingly good, the direction by Steven Soderbergh was masterful, and the chemistry and dynamics between actors were pretty compelling. The pacing was a bit suspect as some scenes could've been cut a little shorter, but the self-aware hilarity somehow made up for it. I wouldn't say that Magic Mike XXL was better than the original as this one lacked a certain degree of depth, which made the first one a lot more riveting, but what worked this time was that it simply just didn't take itself too seriously. Parts of it was absolutely hysterical, and I was surprised to find myself quite entertained. 7.5