District B13 is one of my favorite movies of all time so it suffices to say that my hopes and expectations of the sequel were fairly high. District 13: Ultimatum (what happened to the B?) takes place three years after the events of the first and things remain the same with drug lords running rampant around the district, which has been section off by five rival gangs. Once again, the fate of District 13 is in jeopardy when the government has become fed up with the chaos and decides to take matters into their own hands and completely level the section. It's up to Damien and Leito to convince the president otherwise.

David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli reprise their roles for the sequel, with Luc Besson returning as screenwriter and producer. For fans, this is a major plus as the sequel retains much of what made the first film so great. At it's heart, parkour is what defines District 13: Ultimatum. The gravity defying acrobatics are all the more impressive in the film. Belle, who is one of the founding fathers of the sport, takes the lead when it comes to free running across the city. Raffaelli does participate somewhat but his forte is more in the martial arts field and he does not disappoint.

All of the action sequences are phenomenal and they truly showcase the exceptional ability these actors posses. Even the simplest of tasks such as going down stairs are made to look awesome. This is what parkour is all about. Unfortunately, the main downfall of the film is that there simply isn't enough of it.

Ultimatum tries too hard to develop a story when really, all it needed to do was showcase more parkour. Like the first film, the story involves the two unlikely friends trying to stop the government from destroying District 13. It's much of the same stuff but practically none of the characters are interesting enough to keep up the intensity that the parkour scenes set up. Where was Lola for instance? Only towards the end do things pick up with the teaming up of the gangs to take down the government. By that time though, it's a little too late.

District 13: Ultimatum has the same actors, practically the same story and the same type of stunts, but it doesn't feel like the same type of film. It's a fantastic film to watch, without a doubt. Newcomers who have yet to see parkour will definitely be thrilled at what is happening on screen, but for those who have a special place for the original, it just doesn't seem up to par.