Plot: What’s it about?
Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) has a rather dark past, but she has tried to leave it behind her and now she resides in London. But now she is back in the spotlight and not the good kind, she is the main suspect in another murder investigation. She crashed her car into the Thames and she wasn’t alone, as her beau was also inside when she crashed. As it turns out, the lover was drugged with a paralytic agent, though not strong enough to keep him from giving her some finger love as she drove. She is put on trial for spiking the man’s drink and at the trial, Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey) provides his take on her state of mind. A loophole allows Tramell to walk, but she keeps a keen interest in Glass. He claims she is addicted to danger and risk, so she sets out to prove him right and take him on the ride of his life. Soon after the sessions begin, trouble also starts and Tramell is right in the middle of it all. Though she is of course a femme fatale, Glass begins to believe her when she claims that someone is out to take her down. But as he falls deeper and deeper into her world, will Glass suffer the same fate as so many men before him?
I love the original Basic Instinct, it pushed the envelope, redefined the thriller genre, and provided some moments none us will ever forget. Now thanks to Sharon Stone’s desire to show off her crotch one last time before her biological clock explodes, we have Basic Instinct 2. I hoped for the same kind of sleaze thriller that pushed the boundaries of the genre, but with no Paul Verhoeven on board, I braced for the worst. This sequel tries to push the limits and be as outrageous as the original, but it falls quite short. I mean, Basic Instinct was no classic by normal standards, but it had so much edge and shock, it all fell into place. Here the filmmakers try to push the right buttons, but either push too hard or simply wind up with dead ends. The storyline is even more outlandish this time and seems to want break records, as far as suspension of disbelief is concerned. But Sharon Stone is on her game here, though her performance is not great, at least by conventional definitions. Even so, she is impossible to take your eyes off of here, so she brings the heat to the role. Basic Instinct 2 is a bad movie, but it never bores and in the end, is better than I expected. This review covers the R rated theatrical cut however, while fans will want to snatch up the unrated version, of course.
Video: How does it look?
Basic Instinct 2 is presented in full frame, which is a useless effort. There is a widescreen version though, so not all hope is lost. The image on this edition is passable as far as technical merits, as it is clean and crisp, as well it should be. But rich colors and smooth contrast aren’t enough in this case, as this altered presentation is simply not even worth a look. When chopped down from the intended 2.40:1 widescreen, this is frustration and beyond, so pick up the widescreen release.
Editor’s Note: There was an error at Sony and they sent us the wrong version by mistake. As soon as we receive the unrated widescreen version, we’ll amed this review accordingly.
Audio: How does it sound?
I have no complaints with the soundtrack however, as the Dolby Digital 5.1 option is all we could ask and more. This is a thriller and the soundtrack enhances the tension and atmosphere, which in turn helps the movie as a whole. After all, the more tension and suspense in a flick like this, the better and the surrounds are used to make the most out of the material. The musical score also makes good use of the surrounds, so there is ample life to be found here. The dialogue is flawless too, with clean vocals that never suffer from harshness or volume concerns, a great overall soundtrack. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a brief featurette and Michael Caton-Jones’ audio comments, neither of which I checked out. When I am able to get a hold of the unrated director’s cut release however, I am sure I will take the time to scan these supplements.
