Sister Act 2:Back in the Habit is not as good as the original, but it is still entertaining compared to the disaster it could have been. It is not as well thought-out in the plot, the direction is lacking a tad, and the film does start off rather slowly.

Thankfully though it does pick up, and the latter half almost equals the best parts of the original. The cinematography and production values are excellent and the script is funny and charming. Whoopi Goldberg once again has fun in her role, Maggie Smith once again is a welcome presence, the music is joyful and upbeat and the nuns are as infectious as ever.

All in all, an entertaining sequel. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Deloris van Cartier (Whoopi Goldberg) is headlining in her own show in Vegas. Sisters Mary Patrick (Kathy Najimy),Mary Robert and Mary Lazarus attend her show. Mother Superior (Maggie Smith) had sent them to retrieve her to teach music in St. Francis High School. She agrees becoming Sister Mary Clarence once again. The school is run by Father Maurice with math teacher Father Ignatius, Latin teacher Father Thomas and the cook Father Wolfgang who only makes bratwurst. The rambunctious class includes leader Rita Watson (Lauryn Hill),brown-noser Tyler Chase, new Muslim Ahmal, white rapper Frank-Hey, graffiti artist Sketch, Margaret (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Maria (Alanna Ubach). She discovers that the school is being closed by the end of the semester.

The premise makes no sense. It's obvious that this is a movie driving for a young cast and the returning characters led by Whoopi. The premise is a simple excuse to get the movie there. Once there, the music is good. The young cast has a few standouts and a couple of familiar stars in their early years. The returning actors are great. However, the story is flat and lacks any freshness.

I usually don't like to criticize a sequel before the opening movie, but I decided to make an exception because I watched the first movie years ago and intend to re-watch it as soon as I can. After revving up a nunnery in the first film, singer Deloris Van Cartier is called back by the nuns to help them to prevent the closure of a Franciscan high school by taking up the position of music teacher. The film retained much of the original cast, and it was nice to see the most charismatic and funny nuns of the first convent in a different setting. The script is absolutely predictable, and we instantly realized much of the story, but that wasn't a problem for me because it didn't prevent it from being funny and entertaining.

Whoopi Goldberg is the star and she carried the film on her back to the end, with coolness and professionalism. I don't know how much she liked to do this character but the fact is that she deserved the applause and behaved like a pro. The same can be said of Maggie Smith, a notable actress who gave us the Mother Superior. Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes, Barnard Hughes, Lauryn Hill and Ryan Toby also deserve the congratulations for the work they have done.

"Sister Act 2" is far from the impact and magic of the first film, and that's certainly why it has always been messed up by criticism. But we cannot go so far as to say that it's entirely bad. There are quality values here, the main one being the ability the film still possesses to entertain the audience and not make us regret having watched it. And this movie, from the moment it's a comedy, is all about being funny and entertaining. It's not supposed to be a work of art nor the movie of our lives, but just make us laugh, and if its true that it cannot get us laughing out loud, it will definitely make us smile.