I love the first Mean Girls, it was funny, cool, dark and very well-acted. I would go as far to say that it was my personal favourite Lindsay Lohan movie. This made-for-TV sequel was a mess, not just as a sequel but on its own terms. Comparing it to the first Mean Girls, this film feels nothing like the original, so much has changed not just in the cast but also in the little things and in terms of consistency too.

When it comes to the acting, only Tim Meadows and Jennifer Stone acquit themselves well. Maeghan Martin's acting is awful and very forced and Maiara Walsh is far too subtle to be believable. Add to that a depressingly predictable story, terrible dialogue and humour, rushed pacing, (bad) sit-com-ish production values, generic soundtrack and a far too obvious conclusion and you have a poor film overall. And did I mention the amateurish direction and shallow characters as well? So all in all, a messy film not just as a sequel to a fun film but on its own merits too. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Jo Mitchell (Meaghan Martin) has been living alone with her NASCAR mechanic father since losing her mother at the age of one. They move around a lot. She's the new kid in North Shore High. It's ruled by the Plastics led by Mandi Weatherly (Maiara Walsh). Chastity Meyer (Claire Holt) and Hope Plotkin (Nicole Gale Anderson) are her sidekicks. Abby Hanover (Jennifer Stone) is the bumbling sweet rich girl. Jealous Mandi lives across the street and picks on her relentlessly. Jo wants to follow her mother to go to Carnegie Mellon but her father doesn't have the tuition. Tyler Adams (Diego Boneta) is her partner in shop class and Mandi's stepbrother. Jo gives Abby a ride home after the latest bullying and Abby's dad offers Jo money to be Abby's friend. With escalating Mandi bullying, Jo and Abby start the Anti-Plastics.

This movie's biggest problem is that it has a great original to live up to. It isn't that close. Tina Fey is gone although Tim Meadows does return as Principal Duvall. The girls are all solid Disney TV actresses. The material is functional until the movie decides to resolve the situation with a football game. It's the stupidest writing possible. Melanie Mayron does her normal TV directing job. This could never be as good as the original. It's on a trajectory to be functional tween TV but the final act is too stupid.

This is not a sequel but a remake of the original. As a sequel goes, it rates up there with Caddy Shack II. The movie starts out with some smart narration as people are compared to the cars that they drive. The message of the story is mixed and lost. At one point it was a High School Animal Farm where the non-plastics were as bad as the plastics, and at other times it was about friendship.

The movie starts out at about 8 stars and digresses to no stars during a female football game that made no sense. Rated PG-13, and that is about the age of the audience this film was designed. Three stars is generous, but I am old and the girls are cute. BTW putting sugar in a gas tank is not just mean but is criminal activity.