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Two out of Five stars
Running time: 146 mins

Badly misjudged, poorly plotted sequel that will disappoint even die-hard fans of the show, thanks to a hideously offensive second half that destroys any remaining goodwill towards the rest of the film.

What's it all about?
Directed by Michael Patrick King, Sex and the City 2 is set two years after the 2008 smash hit: Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is frustrated with the take-out-and-TV routine that her marriage to Big (Chris Noth) has fallen into; Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is obsessed with a menopause-bashing drug regimen; Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is unhappy at work; and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is struggling with motherhood, despite the help she receives from her bra-refusing nanny (Alice Eve, lumbered with both a pointless Irish accent and a wet T-shirt scene straight out of a teen sex comedy).

When Samantha wangles the girls an all expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi, they jump at the chance to escape their problems for a couple of weeks but Carrie is thrown into confusion after she bumps into her ex-boyfriend Aidan (John Corbett).

The Good
The performances are fine, the chemistry between the four leads is as strong as ever, the clothes are... colourful and there are several witty lines. However, that's really all that remains of what was once a much-loved TV show: if you're a fan of the series, you'll know something's gone horribly wrong when the film opens with a gay wedding between Stanford (Willie Garson) and Anthony (Mario Cantone), two characters who always hated each other.

The Bad
It's impossible to discuss how hideously offensive the second half of the film is without revealing plot details so look away now if you're spoiler-averse. Aside from being incredibly patronising and indulging in the sort of foreign stereotypes that would shame even the Carry On team, the film hits its low point when it “hilariously” reveals that beneath their burkas and veils, Muslim women are actually wearing the latest New York fashions and discussing books by Suzanne Somers in clandestine book groups. And that's before Samantha starts screaming “I am a woman! I like sex!” and throwing condoms in people's faces.

On top of that, the underwritten plot barely touches on the more interesting subplots, to the point that the final-reel resolutions don't ring true and lack emotional impact as a result.

Worth seeing?
The paper-thin plot and sidelining of the characters would be bad enough but the shockingly offensive, badly misjudged second half of Sex and the City 2 ensures that this will disappoint even the show's die-hard fans.