Very few were expecting the 2012 male stripper film Magic Mike to be a success. It  wasn’t the typical flick that just existed for men and women to gawk at the impressive bodies of  the main characters. It had a surprisingly good story, looking at the personal life of a male stripper and the struggles he had to overcome to achieve his goals.

It was low budget compared  to most Hollywood films that aren’t blockbusters, but it made nearly 200 million at the box  office, enough to warrant a sequel in the form of 2015’s Magic Mike XXL. Does the movie offer  more than the first, or does it rely more on the good looking visuals?

Taking place three years after the original, Mike receives a call from Tarzan while running his own furniture store. His former boss Dallas has left the city to start a new show in  Macau.

Mike’s former co-workers plan to end their careers on a high note by traveling to Myrtle  Beach to attend a striping convention. Feeling reinvigorated for his former job and not having much luck in the business or dating department, Mike agrees to come.

Along the way they have technical and personal issues while meeting a number of interesting people, and  there are plenty of opportunities to make the men in the audience wish they had their abs.

Good sequels to well received movies either build well upon the original or improve the  material. Some could have the same story like 22 Jump Street but still succeed in a number of  areas where it doesn’t matter.

Unfortunately none of these are the case for Magic Mike XXL. It’s the same cast, but a different movie. The first one was more of a character study while this one’s a flat out road trip, and the writers just had everything go against Mike in a lazy excuse to bring  him back to the stripper pole.

There are some memorable and funny characters like Donald Glover’s Andre and Jada  Pinkett Smith’s Rome, but nothing too spectacular. Unfortunately, Matthew McConaughey and  Alex Pettfyer don’t return this time despite being two of the main characters in the last  movie. Channing Tatum does return as Mike and he remains as charming and funny as he  was in the last one, though the comedy aspect is emphasized a little more here.

As with the first one, expect to see a lot of stripping action showcasing what these good  looking guys can do. I can’t really say that I’m into or I enjoy these types of movies, but if you  want to see a sexy, naked Channing Tatum, it won’t disappoint.

Magic Mike XXL is a decent popcorn movie, but if you were expecting a dark story  like the first one, you’ll be disappointed.

Aside from Channing Tatum acting funny and sexy,  there’s really not much to talk about here. I think it being a Magic Mike sequel is especially  disappointing, because it really could’ve been its own movie without featuring the Magic Mike characters.

It’s a mediocre movie, and a disappointing sequel. Unless you want to see it purely  for Channing Tatum’s abs, I don’t think it’s worth it.