I can’t say that I am fan of the HBO series Sex and the City. Perhaps it is a chick thing but I just don’t get it. The women, for the most part, are attractive enough, especially the scintillating Kim Cattrall, but I find their characters on the whole, uninteresting. While my wife is a fan of the series, she was less than thrilled with the first film, which was a just a a longer and more expensive version of one of the HBO episodes and didn’t exactly meet with much critical success. However, given that the film was a commercial success and further that Hollywood being Hollywood, can’t leave well enough alone, a sequel was inevitable and has now arrived on Blu-ray.

Film 

To be kind, this is not a good film and will really only please die-hard fans of the series and who have to have their Sex and the City fix. This film is essentially an excuse to present the girls in as many outfits as possible with no thought at all of meaningful or even witty dialogue. While the film does have a couple funny lines, the only interesting segment of the film is the gay wedding at the beginning of the film which some may find a bit over the top, with the gay male chorus and the wedding ceremony presided over by who else, Liza Minelli.

The film takes place two years after the first and finds the four girls unhappy either with their marriages, sex or home lives. When Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is invited to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, she brings along Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), where Carrie meets and old flame, Charlotte fears for the future of her marriage, Miranda misses her job and Samantha runs afoul of Islamic laws concerning the public displays of affection.

There is really no other way to put this other than Sex and the City 2 is a dumb film, one that was hastily put together to capitalize on the success of the first film and make some more money while the getting was good. Accordingly, this film is rated for fans only. The rest of you may just want to skip this one entirely.

Video 

While I didn’t like the film, there is nothing wrong with the video presentation, which on the whole is quite good. The film features a well saturated color palette with bright and bold primary and secondary colors. detail and clarity and very good as well, which is a bit of a mixed bag, as it shows how some of these actresses have really aged. Wrinkles, skin blemishes and imperfections as all clearly visible. Black levels are deep and solid and shadow detail excellent, resulting in an image of very nice depth and detail. All in all, this is a fine video presentation and one that will more than please fans of the film.

Audio 

I was not exactly expecting a reference audio presentation here and was therefore not disappointed. The audio is just what I expected that it would be for a chick flick. The film does not have a very sophisticated sound design and is rather front heavy with most of the sound coming from the front speakers. While the surrounds are active throughout the film, they are for the most part used very subtly for room ambiance but never to the degree necessary to provide a very immersive sound field.

The surrounds only come alive infrequently for sound effects such as a passing car as well as the musical score which I must say, is presented very well. The overall fidelity of the audio track is quite good with a smooth and open sound and good transparency. The dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the mix, which considering the quality of the dialogue, is a bit of a mixed bag. If you are looking for excellent dynamics and a very immersive sounding film, Sex and the City 2 is not the film for you. However, given the nature of the film, the audio here is more than acceptable and is fully worthy of a 4 star rating.

Special Features 

Sex and the City 2 is presented as a combo pack, with disc one the Blu-ray version of the film and with disc 2 containing a DVD copy of the film tother with a digital copy.

The extras are all pretty routine with a audio commentary with director and writer Michael Patrick King as well as several featurettes. The featurettes consist of a Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack: Behind the Scenes with Alicia Keys which takes a look at the development of the music for the film (and is only presented in standard definition) as well as “So Much Can Happen in Two Years” which is a conversation between Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King where they discuss all aspects of the making of the film and how good they all are and is essentially a puff piece on the making of the film.

Other featurettes discuss the costumes featured in the film (Stylizing Sex and the City 2), recreating the look of the 1980′s (Revisiting the 80′s), a look at the filming of Liza Minelli’s appearance in the film ( Marry Me Liza) and a discussion of the men featured i the film (The Men of Sex and the City) with Michael Patrick King and actor Mario Cantone who plays one of the gay men getting married in the film. As I said, all in all, pretty standard fare and little that I found all that compelling.

Final Thoughts 

If you are a real fan of the film, you may find Sex and the City 2 a worthwhile investment of your time. I can’t say that I did. Recommended for fans only.