Not too long ago, I reviewed Saturday Night Fever and I talked about how much I loved that movie. Saturday Night Fever is a movie that really has aged like a fine wine. Staying Alive on the other hand, well, let me start by saying that I think Staying Alive is up there as one of the worst movie sequels of all time. This sucks and sucks really bad, I watched it again for the first time in a long time recently and it was even worse than I remembered it being.
How to Download Staying Alive
Staying Alive was released on July 15, 1983. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like xxxx, check out also his other films- film one and film two.
The Movie Review
Before I get to why I do not like the movie, let’s talk about the good that this movie has. The title track, Staying Alive is awesome and arguably the most famous song from the Bee Gees catalogue. Also, that same soundtrack features an “iconic” song by Sly Stallone’s brother, Frank Stallone. Speaking of which, I think it is a great bit of movie trivia that Staying Alive was written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. Also, the ending strut scene with Travolta is pretty awesome.
A Sequel That Shouldn’t Have Happened
That is pretty much all the good things I have to say about this movie. This is just an unnecessary sequel in every regard. John Travolta is back as Tony Manero and he is living in an absolute dump, working a dead-end job, looking for his break on Broadway. Tony is pretty brutal to his girlfriend, Jackie who is a singer and dancer with dreams of her own.
Tony has a one-night stand with a star called Laura and he soon realizes that Laura is not nice at all. However, despite the rocky rendezvous that they had, Tony and Laura have to work together as they are cast in a Broadway show called Satan’s Alley, in which Jackie also has a role in.
Why Staying Alive Fails as a Sequel
Ugh, this movie just sucks. The premise I think is not bad, but the three main characters, even Tony are just not all that likable. To be fair, Jackie is not bad, but the way Tony treats her and the way she goes running back to him just makes you roll your eyes. The movie is more interested in trying to wow you with dance numbers, none of which have the same impact the ones in Saturday Night Fever did! It tries to be style over substance, but outside of that cool strut John Travolta does at the end of the movie, there was nothing really “cool” about this movie at all.
A Lack of Character Depth
It is like they try to force all this tension between Laura and Tony as they have to perform together while not liking each other, but they both just come across as major assholes. Actually, I would argue that Tony is the biggest asshole in the whole movie, he is not a likable character here at all. Outside of the iconic strut, nothing he does here is cool.
Final Thoughts on Staying Alive
If I had to write a list of the top 10 worst movie sequels of all time, Staying Alive would be on that list. I am not saying it is the worst movie sequel I have ever seen, but it could be in the top 5, maybe even top 3! Rather than watch this movie, watch Saturday Night Fever and then just listen to the song, Staying Alive as that is the best thing to come out of this movie. You know, if that song was not in the movie, I very well could have given this a 0/10!
