Channing Tatum returns to one of his most iconic roles as Mike Lane in the third installment of the Magic Mike films, Magic Mike’s Last Dance. With Steven Soderbergh back in the director’s chair from the original film, it also stars Salma Hayek, Ayub Khan Din, and plenty of dancers ready to almost bear it all.

Mike Lane, short on cash and working as a bartender at a special charity event in Florida, is still vaguely recognised by a few for his past career as a male stripper. Salma Hayek portrays Maxandra Mendoza, a rich socialite dealing with a divorce. To help relieve her stress, she requests Mike to entertain her, having heard about his past life. Reluctant at first, Mike is tempted by the amount of money Maxandra is willing to pay him and decides to fulfill her wishes.

After a mind-blowing experience, Maxandra offers an even larger sum of money to come with her to London. Mike agrees, even though he has no idea what he’d be doing, but then is suddenly announced as the new director of big theatre production. Maxandra firmly believes that Mike has the vision to take an old stage play and bring something new and innovative by incorporating male strippers.

Maxandra wants this unorthodox show to captivate audiences and experience what she did that night with Mike. She wants a show full of passion and ecstasy, and to give that feeling of empowerment that women can have anything they want.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance certainly has no shortage of good-looking men, as the film actually puts a big focus on the male recruits from various dance styles, with Channing’s character focused on training the new generation of male strippers for the big show. The film also focuses on Maxandra and what she wants out of the show, which won’t make sense at first, but it slowly starts becoming clearer later on, especially with the challenges she faces along the way.

One of the biggest features of the movie is of course the dances, and there is plenty of it. The dances also play a big part in telling the story, some even with a few callbacks to earlier scenes. While the overall plot is mainly focused on the unorthodox love story between Mike and Maxandra, all the new dancers actually get a really good amount of screen time to display their incredible talents. The movie actually dedicates about 30 minutes of the film to just the dances, while also never forgetting the plot. In fact, the story actually moves along with the dances. The cinematography also makes sure to get the best angles of the performances, making sure they take centre stage while also telling the story.

The movie’s soundtrack includes plenty of popular hip-hop, upbeat, and party songs, perfect for a team of well-built men to rip their shirts off on stage and send the audience into a frenzy. The London setting has plenty of colourful and vibrant sights, and the theatre itself has plenty of ornate features, a very unique setting for the upcoming show.

Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek’s on-screen chemistry is done really well, even in the scenes when they’re not speaking at all. It’s clear to see what Maxandra was deprived of and that she manages to find this in Mike. It becomes the inspiration for her new vision of the show, by seeing it through the eyes of Mike, even if he doesn’t understand it himself at first. The film also has an entertaining supporting cast including Ayub Khan Din as Victor, Maxandra’s butler, and Jemelia George as Zadie, Maxandra’s daughter, who both have some memorable moments in the film.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is another unique look into the world of male strip shows, inspired by Channing’s real-life events. It may give some unrealistic expectations of romance, but it’s still a highly entertaining movie full of ups and downs, literally and figuratively, with a whole lot of dancing, and it isn’t afraid to almost bear it all. For fans of the first two films, or anyone needing to be captivated by the celebration of masculinity, Magic Mike’s Last Dance is for sure a must-watch.

Written by: Sammy Hanson