Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall

Director: Michael Patrick King

Screenwriter: Michael Patrick King

Sex and the City. A series that changed the lives of women the world over. Does it work on the big screen, however? The honest answer is, well, no, not really. One reason SATC the show was so successful was down to its celebration of young single women living in one of the most incredible cities in the world. But strip away the single status, dating lifestyle and iconic location and settle them down with a dose of reality (and a touch of botox) and you’re not left with much to work with.

Apparently, jetting the girls off to Abu Dhabi for this big screen sequel was the best screenwriter Michael Patrick King could come up with, which meant that New York City, one of the central characters for many, is noticeably absent. So they’re all settling down apart from Samantha? Really? Who would have thought? Carrie is now a Mrs and fighting to keep the sparkle in her marriage, Miranda is unappreciated at work, Charlotte is struggling with two children and Samantha is, well, Samantha is Samantha, and if it wasn’t for her sharp, witty remarks, the script would be taking up residence in tedious town for the duration.

There are, however, only so many one-liners you can cram into two and a half hours and by the end, this sequel all feels too try-hard and predictable and unlike the effortless hilarity of the episodes, the humour often seems forced and unnatural. Ok, so Charlotte falls off a camel and Samantha gets arrested for being ‘intimate in public’, but if it’s just slapstick you’re after, you be better of with Laurel and Hardy.

A flashback to the 1980s only highlights the fact that these women, though exceptionally glamorous, are not the girls they once were and, quite devastatingly, the relationships don’t feel real anymore, not to mention that fact that the on-screen chemistry has gone awol. Thankfully, the energetic and rebellious Carrie we’ve come to know and love makes a welcome return, but alas, it isn’t enough to rescue this dull and tired sequel. It turns out that sometimes it’s better to look back on fond memories rather than try to  renew previous alliances.

The Middle East provides a stunning backdrop to some incredibly inspired fashion, but ultimately, there isn’t enough of a storyline in Sex And The City 2 to keep the viewer enthralled. As a die-hard fan left dissatisfied by the first movie, I wanted so desperately to love this latest chapter. Regrettably though, unlike our heroine and Mr Big, it just wasn’t meant to be.

By Jenna Endres

Sex And The City 2 is out now courtesy of Warner Bros