Every so often a movie is released that makes us wonder what exactly the people involved were thinking. These movies are so bad that it should have been evident from the very beginning that nothing good would come out of pursuing the project. In 2006 we saw a classic case of greenlight insanity- Basic Instinct 2.
The original Basic Instinct was pretty much a run of the mill thriller and should have been mostly ignored way back in 1992. But the director decided to shine a light up Sharon Stone’s dress during the interrogation scene and the rest was history. Ms. Stone became a huge star and audiences flocked to see what all the fuss was about. (Most of the tickets were probably sold to horn dogs too embarrassed to be seen at a XXX theater.) Just about every television show on the air at the time spoofed the now infamous scene for a cheap laugh.
So 14 years later, we should have been able to breathe a sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that way too much time had passed for anyone to even consider making a sequel. With Sharon Stone getting close to being eligible for an AARP membership and Michael Douglas firmly in the Lark Motorized Scooter demographic, Basic Instinct 2 seemed like a ridiculous and far fetched possibility. Obviously, this means that it had to be made.
With Michael Douglas way too old to play a convincing partner, even for Ms. Stone, the filmmakers chose not to bring him back. (Although he might have been murdered at the end of the first film- maybe.) Since the only thing that seemed to captivate audiences from the first movie is probably something that nobody would really want to see again, it is unclear how they thought they could get another feature length film made. And how could anyone possibly think that this project could be a success as a theatrical release? (Maybe the project could have worked as a Direct to DVD release or Skinemax cheapie… maybe.)
With nothing new to show and no real new ground to cover, Basic Instinct 2 hit the movie screens of America with a thud. They couldn't even manage to make enough money to cover Sharon Stone’s reported $14 million salary. Perhaps they should have just flushed all of that money down the toilet; it probably would have been cheaper for them in the long run.
