Basic Instinct 2 is garbage, but it's compulsively watchable garbage. From the opening scene in which Sharon Stone's risk (and sex) addicted vixen Catherine Tramell barrels down London streets in her sports car while demanding that her wasted passenger of a boyfriend finger her, I knew I was in for a special time at the movies.

Basic Instinct 2 is, of course, a sequel to the Paul Verhoeven trash classic in which sex wasn't merely a part of the plot-it was the star. Well, there is sex to be found in this follow-up, but intercourse is more of a supporting player this time around, and in fact, for those who've seen that infamous Basic Instinct 2 featurette that's been circulating online, you may be disappointed to discover that it represents all the naughty stuff this film has to offer.

This sequel takes place in London and follows Catherine Tramell's psychiatric sessions with a recently divorced doctor who quickly becomes obsessed with the tantalizing thriller novelist. Before long, folks who Dr. Michael Glass isn't too fond of, begin dropping like flies prompting the good doctor to look at Tramell as a suspect. The problem is, Glass is so infatuated by the femme fatale that the sex keeps getting in the way.

Basic Instinct 2 pulsates with the same sort of sleazy, silly, preposterous verve of the first film, only director Michael Caton-Jones (Rob Roy) isn't really in his element here, whereas Paul Verhoeven felt right at home. The original Basic Instinct was a slickly produced thriller and brought soft core to the mainstream. This picture by comparison, tries to trick the audience in a more conventional manner. The end result is a really stupid movie with a couple of nifty surprises along the way.

Sharon Stone is back as the naughty heroine, and she's struggled for quite a while to get this movie made. It's quite ironic to me that Ms. Stone made such a big stink about the legendary beaver shot in the first picture, but now she seems eager to show more of her business. For what it's worth, Stone is fearless and for a women in her late 40's, she's got quite the body. Sadly, however, her performance feels more like a parody of the role that placed her indelibly on the map rather than a complete embodiment of the part.

Michael Douglas is nowhere to be found. Instead, the focus is on psychiatrist Michael Glass (played by David Morrissey - brother of British rock sensation Morrissey), and quite honestly, he's not half bad. By the looks of the trailer, I thought he'd be awful, but in the context of the movie, he's often quite effective. He plays the "I really should kill her, but I want to screw her more" moments with palpable intensity and I really enjoyed the way he plays the final moments of the picture. In a way, this flick is really more about Glass than it is Catherine Tramell and that's where Basic Instinct 2 really differs from the first picture.

The usually dependable David Thewlis seems to know he's in a really silly thriller, so he makes the most of it in a big way as police officer Roy Washburn. Perhaps too big. Nearly every time he was on screen, I thought I was watching a Naked Gun movie. Seriously - I thought I was going to pass out from laughter upon watching the thespian play his last scene.

The screenplay by Leora Barish and Henry Bean (based on characters created by trash king Joe Eszterhas) is filled with howlingly bad dialogue and ludicrous situations, both of which make the film somewhat enjoyable. What's more, there are actually a couple of moments that I didn't see coming (if you'll pardon the pun). I also like the way the screenwriters loosely tie events in both films together all while maintaining a little ambiguity. Yes, the ending is implausible and ridiculous, but at least it was a surprise.

Basic Instinct 2 is stupid. It's really stupid. The thing is though, it falls under the category of "So dumb, it's actually kind of entertaining." For me anyway. Still, I won't hold my breath for BI3. If Once is not Enough - Twice is more than Plenty.