The first movie was a serious psychological dystopia on the topic of dehumanization, in particular of an inmate and in general of the society; that unfortunately after the first half had this very noticeable transition, ending with a rather disappointing finale in a style of B class action movies. And that shift was so profound, that even the (not so great) music (greatly) matching what was shown on the screen was practically removed during that transition, only to come back when the more action oriented last quarter of that first movie have started
And with this sequel, they took a practically different approach. The music is even worst and does not evoke any feelings in conjunction with the on screen events. Also the dystopic ingredient is somewhere in the back while the action is more in the front. But aside from the opening scene, the rest is coherent; unlike in the first picture of this duology. So if the viewer will enjoy the first 10-20 minutes (once the action is placed in the prison), then this joy will last to the end; unlike in the first picture of this diptych
Yes- there are plot holes and behaviors illogical to some extent, that normally would disqualify any movie from taking it serious. But that is the whole point- if you do not take it seriously, just in the terms of action comedy and not a drama, you will simply enjoy it. There are numerous great and funny moments, like when a female co-pilot is apparently learning how to dock under the supervision of the experienced male pilot. Both those characters are played absolutely great, especially given that the male pilot has only few spoken lines and the co-pilot only has one. Also, one of the characters from the hero's team of escapees that has a damaged brain is portrayed with such a craft, that he just makes the hero of the story look somewhat bleak
Aside from the cheap special effects and story that has only traces of being complex, this is a great entertainment. It is somewhat similar in style to the new "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015): in that when put on paper it seems stupid and boring; but when put all together and presented on the screen, it is just so damn entertaining (and positively different from previous installments)
