Blu-ray Movie Reviews

What happens after you say "I do"? With three of the quartet married, how do they get out on the town and have a good time? They don't. Instead, the girls get together for a trip to Abu Dhabi when a wealthy sheik asks Samantha (Kim Cattrall) to visit his luxury hotel, hoping she will promote it in America. With her three best pals in tow, they jet off on a first-class trip to paradise away from the stresses of marriage, kids, and careers.

As a fan of the TV show and the first movie, I thought I would enjoy spending more time with the characters I'd gotten to know over the years. Boy was I wrong. The script is pathetically weak and bloated, and the characters have lost their appeal as they've aged. Not their sex appeal, which is perfectly fine—it's their vomit-inducing narcissistic behavior that wears you out over the 146 minutes, and the far-fetched storytelling doesn't help matters.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Gaudy color palette
• Unrealistic flesh tones
• Inky blacks
• Excellent fine detail

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Soundtrack opens up the soundstage
• Inconsistent dialog reproduction
• Wide separation across the front soundstage
• Surround speakers filled with ambience

Unnatural looking is the best way to describe the video encode, which could be intentional, but it isn't very pleasing to the eyes. The audio track is nothing special, although the soundtrack exhibits impressive dynamic range.

Bonus Materials (all in SD)

• Audio commentary from director Michael Patrick King
• The Men of Sex and the City featurette
• Styling Sex and the City featurette
• Marry Me, Liza!
• Revisiting the '80s
• Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack: In the Recording Studio with Alicia Keys

Sequels are usually a disappointment, but in this case, that's an understatement. If you didn't catch this in the theaters but are a fan of the show, you may want to skip it. Yes, it's that bad.

Release Date: October 26, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 7/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics