‘Magic Mike XXL’ Blu-ray Review

agic Mike XXL Cast Shirtless
STEPHEN ‘TWITCH’ BOSS as Malik, MATT BOMER as Ken, KEVIN NASH as Tarzan, JOE MANGANIELLO as Richie, CHANNING TATUM as Mike, and ADAM RODRIGUEZ as Tito, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ comedy, ‘MAGIC MIKE’ (Photo © 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment)

Channing Tatum and the crew behind Magic Mike XXL learned their lessons on what works in a male stripper film from the 2012 Magic Mike, taking all of the elements that worked the best in that film – dancing, stripping, and hot male bodies – and increasing the amount of those elements in the 2015 sequel. Magic Mike XXL also takes itself less seriously than the first film, with self-deprecating humor and more camaraderie between the…what do you call a group of strippers? Not a gaggle or a herd, maybe a troupe? That doesn’t seem quite right, but you get the idea. The sequel may not have earned quite as many favorable reviews as Magic Mike and it earned less than half the box office total of the 2012 film, but the audience embraced the well-toned guys on the screen and made taking in a screening in theaters into a real girls night out event. With the release on home video, it’s certain those girls night out screenings will continue but without the need of a trip to theaters.

Magic Mike XXL’s cast is led by Tatum and includes Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Kevin Nash, and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, all of whom completely embrace their characters. They seem to be having a good time working on the film, and it would have been fun to see more of their behind-the-scenes work in featurettes on the Magic Mike XXL Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD released on October 6, 2015. Unfortunately, the home video release only includes three short bonus features which means if you’re going to pick this one up, you’re doing it because you’re a fan of the film franchise and not for the extra material.

The Bonus Features:

The Moves of Magic Mike XXL: Channing Tatum and the choreographers discuss what makes the dance moves so entertaining and how they tried to elevate the stripping routines in the sequel. The featurette explores why it was important to make the dance routines connect with the dancers and with the audience, and cast members talk about their favorite moves. This short video also reveals the reasoning behind including Matt Bomer singing (which he did live) in the film. And the choreographers talk about how they created the dances playing to each actors’ strength.

Georgia: A behind the scenes look at the different locations throughout Georgia that were used for the film’s shoot.

Extended Malik Dance Scene: A much longer version of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss’ dance in front of appreciative women at a private party.

The Plot:

Picking up the story three years after Mike (Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, Magic Mike XXL finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them.

On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

More on Magic Mike XXL: Review of the 2015 Sequel

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