At the end of "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," Jessica Alba's Nancy repeats a seemingly popular refrain: "Sin City, it soils you." In the context of the story, Nancy is getting at the fact that living in that city is bound to corrupt anyone.

But the effect is different for audiences. "Sin City" does not entertain or even fulfill any of the viewers' corrupt desires. No. Sin City bores you.

Robert Rodriguez's first stab at the franchise a decade ago was admittedly clever in its design and style. The content itself might be little more than exploitation, but the idea was unique in its time and certainly had an imprint on popular culture. Plus, it had Bruce Willis.

Ten years later, some things have changed. Others haven't. The film still looks the same. Nancy and the grovel-voiced Marv (a mutated Mickey Rourke) are back. Bruce Willis' Detective John Hardigan makes what amount to a series of brief cameos. Clive Owens' charming Dwight has been replaced by Josh Brolin's one-dimensional version thanks to an apparent facial change (according to the script).

The star-studded cast welcomes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Eva Green, Ray Liotta and Juno Temple.

True to the form of the original, the film is set up in a series of vignettes with the centerpiece "A Dame to Kill For" revolving around Dwight's love for Eva (Eva Green). Unsurprisingly, the ever-talented Green plays a femme fatale that is seemingly unable to keep her clothes on while Brolin's Dwight tries to battle his addiction for her. In between, Christopher Meloni shows up as a dumb cop who also falls for her.

Other vignettes feature Marv killing a bunch of college kids, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Johnny going out for a night on the town and getting tortured for messing with the wrong corrupt governor and Nancy looking to get revenge for the death of her beloved Hartigan (Willis).

With the exception of Johnny's "The Long Bad Night," the others feel pretty identical to one another in form and feel. Rodriguez and co-director Frank Miller seem intent on trying to create diverse and complex characters, but they pretty much mirror one another. Dwight and Nancy are hurting from love and thus out to get revenge. They both alter their visages and then set out on violent rampages aided by Marv, or in Dwight's case, other women.

Indulgence is everywhere. From the violence, to the color scheme to the paradoxical exploitation of women. Laura Mulvey would surely have a field day with Rodriguez and Miller's portrayal of women. There seems to be an attempt to "empower" them both sexually and physically throughout. Every woman in this film in some way or another betters the male characters around her. But at the same time, they are clearly nothing more than sexual objects of desire. Eva is constantly presented completely naked while Alba's Nancy is showcased doing her dances on more than one occasion. Rosario Dawson and her gang are all displayed in dominatrix gear that simply drives the point home.

The writers seemingly try to strip away this male gaze perspective late in "Nancy's Last Dance" by having the eponymous character "deform" her visage. But then the attempt goes awry when another male character comments on how "hot" she looks with her new look.

While Rodriguez certainly shares some qualities with his friend and colleague Quentin Tarantino (the indulgent violence and cartoony narratives for example), he has none of the other superior filmmaker's wit. Sin City may have a lot of "hard-boiled" dialogue that is reminiscent of the film noir franchise, but it rare to truly get a good laugh out of any of the repartee. The film feels as cold and artificial as the green screen soundstage it was filmed on.

The performances are pretty predictable here. Brolin and Rourke mumble through the proceedings while Green plays the same character she has successfully portrayed in such films as "Dark Shadows" and "300: Rise of an Empire." Gordon-Levitt reprises the role of the hard-boiled smooth-talker he has played in "Don Jon" and "Inception" (again, he does that role well in those films and this one). Alba actually does a solid job of convincing the viewer of Nancy's torment, but it gets rather repetitive after the first few scenes.

As expected, the 3D adds nothing to the proceedings. Objects flying at the viewer, but otherwise the gimmick continues to be just that.

Fans of the first "Sin City" might find a lot here to enjoy. But those hoping for evolution in the filmmaking or simply more interesting narratives will find themselves bored and potentially disgusted by the incessant decapitations and overly sexual portrayal of women throughout. For those moviegoers, there is no reason to make a stop at Sin City. There is nothing to see here.