After a long wait, Sex and the City is back, this time as a big, glossy feature film perpetuating the lives and loves of the four female characters brought to life in the original HBO series, which ended in 2004. Written and directed by Michael Patrick King, the movie continues the tale of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) as they search the Big Apple for love, sex, and Mr. Right.

The TV version of Sex and the City premiered in June 1998 and ended in February 2004. In its six seasons, the critically acclaimed series was nominated for 50 Emmys and won seven, and nominated for 24 Golden Globe awards, of which it won eight. For the first time on television, the series depicted women pursuing sex as men do, without apologizing for their desires, and some say it has encouraged women to talk about their sex lives in a more open, healthy way. Sex and the City broached many different and sometimes bold subjects, and dealt with social issues that were especially relevant to women active in the dating scene. It showcased fashion, helped make the cosmopolitan the drink du jour, and Manolo Blahniks the only woman’s shoe I can name.

This film was clearly not made for television; it’s brighter and more colorful than the series, which gives it more of an impact on a large screen; and, at 148 minutes, the events unfold in a less hurried manner, the story not constrained by a 47-minute time slot. This time around, fashion -- always an integral part of the original series and, it would seem, of life in New York -- is given more prominence. I’m not sure that any of the designers mentioned in the film -- Dior, Fendi, Yves St. Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, etc. -- needed to pay for product placements. The many mentions of these brand names is done to satisfy the hordes of fashionistas who regularly watched the series and who flocked to the theater on opening night. Surrounded by 300 screaming females at the premiere, I felt I was attending more than just a movie showing. I haven’t attended a film opening night in many years that had such an enthusiastic and welcoming crowd.

Sex and the City begins by refreshing our memories of where the characters were when we last saw them three years ago; those unfamiliar with the original series get a sense of the past history and can follow along. The story, beginning after those three years have passed, takes us through the following year’s events, which test the women’s friendships and affirm some of their life choices. They will realize that sustaining relationships can sometimes be difficult, and that finding love does not guarantee smooth sailing.

King has evidently attempted to appeal to a broader film audience; his script is a little tamer than when the women were involved in the single dating scene. The characters have moved on, and are now dealing with different problems: all are ten years older than when we first met them, all are now in stable, mature relationships, and two have children. But while I expected the movie to be slightly more racy, those expecting anything substantially different from the TV series may be disappointed. King and producer Darren Star know their audience and have given them much of the same -- which, it appears, is what Sex and the City fans were clamoring for. From the cheering that erupted when the end credits began to roll at the screening I attended, they’ve read their audience correctly.

I dare say another sequel would also be a commercial success. Watching these four women deal with the issues, both important and inane, of dating and relationships has been fun over the years, and I don’t want their stories to end. I would love to see what Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are up to in another ten years. I hope that Michael Patrick King and Darren Star feel the same.

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