Robert Rodriguez gave us another entry to his “Machete” series and while it’s a fun movie, does it live up to its predecessor?

“Machete Kills” is the sequel to 2010’s “Machete,” which was spawned from a fake trailer that was shown in the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double-feature “Grindhouse,” released in 2007. “Machete” followed in the old grind-house style of filmmaking with a lot of absurdity and ridiculousness, yet still provided entertainment value, mostly for those who are familiar with such a style.

The film follows the titular character Machete (Danny Trejo) being called by the President of the United States, played by Charlie Sheen, who went by his birth-name Carlos Estevez, going with the whole “Mexican theme” that Rodriguez was going for. He is assigned to eliminate a threat to the U.S.

He comes across some strange figures along the way, like a master of disguise who is played by four different actors, Lady Gaga being one of them. Also, an insane madam named Desdemona, played by Sofia Vergara, who is out for Machete’s blood, along with her minions, one of whom played by former “Spy Kid” Alexa Vega.

The movie itself has a lot of ridiculousness. There’s a lot of violence in this movie along with a lack of realism.

The first film was a modern-day sendup of “trashy” exploitation B-movies from the 1970s. This film used that formula as well, but it wasn’t as ridiculous as the first. It was actually a little more ridiculous, in fact.

One of the most over-the-top moments involved Sofia Vergara’s character, who wears a machine gun bra. Another funny moment was a nod to “Star Wars” when a character was given the “Han Solo being frozen” treatment from “The Empire Strikes Back.”

The movie itself was entertaining and fun, but in some ways, it didn’t live up to its predecessor. There were many things going on at once and while plot isn’t  the film’s strongest suit, it can be somewhat confusing.

The first film had different things going on as well, but what made it work was how it felt a little more like a “Mexploitation” movie. There were a lot of Mexican stereotypes and racial themes, but it all went with the plot.

This film, however, went with themes that are found in James Bond films and cheap science fiction.

Overall, if you decide to see this film, just make sure you check your brain at the door. While it wasn’t as good as “Machete,” it’s still an entertaining movie.