Picking up a number of years after the first, Mickey Rourke's character's (Marv) facial prosthetics have warped even more, to the point where you have to stop yourself from making a plastic surgery quip. Aside from that, not all much has changed in Sin City.
As we'd expect, the film utilizes the ensemble structure--complete with changing point-of-views and voiceover monologues. A problematic detail is that there isn't anything new here in terms of narrative and theme, and a lot of the story is uninspired and ill-conceived compared to the sharpness of its predecessor. Unfortunately, some of the sequences even flirt with lines of unintentional parody.
The fresh intrigue and awe of the black & white, comic-book-panels-come-to-life aesthetic has worn off. The tone is a bit lame, lacking the grimy darkness that the first one so strongly established. The script doesn't have as many memorable lines. The combination of the pop-arthouse visuals and brutal violence doesn't strike as effectively this time, nor is the mise-en-scene as stunningly picturesque. The new characters are basic rehashes, and even the added talent of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, and Eva Green doesn't quite give this the lift it needs.
Sin City 2 can't help but feel like a minor victory trot. The B-side tracks of the deluxe edition. The secondary plot. Too many years too late.
4.5/10
"The B-side tracks of the deluxe edition" - That's the best description of this film I've heard.
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