In Ron Howard’s “Backdraft,” Chicago Fire Department firefighters (and siblings) Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian (William Baldwin) McCaffrey share a complicated relationship. Stephen thinks that his brother isn’t cut out to be a firefighter, as Brian has always lived in his older brother’s shadow. But this familial tension is sidelined after a string of mysterious fires break out, and a backdraft is triggered during one of the calls to rescue survivors. 

While Howard’s film is fairly predictable in its plotting, the fire sequences win us over, thanks to an incredibly talented stunt team and experts dedicated to pyrotechnics. The leads do much of the heavy-lifting here, which is interesting considering that Russell and Tom Cruise were initially supposed to play brothers before working together in “Vanilla Sky.”

The legacy of “Backdraft” will always be tied to its fire scenes, considering that it even inspired a fiery, thrill-inducing tourist attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. In fact, the fire-focused stunt work was so impressive that the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects (and lost to “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”). While Howard and co. were prepared for fire-related emergencies on set, things didn’t always go as planned. For example, one of the disaster scenes ended up being so intense that Russell started panicking and was unable to breathe when black smoke from a real fire temporarily obstructed his vision.

While “Backdraft” deserves love for its technical achievements, the same cannot be said about “Backdraft 2,” the direct-to-video sequel that has nothing worthwhile to offer. Baldwin and Donald Sutherland (who played pyromaniac Ronald Bartel in the first film) reprised their roles in the sequel, but their acting chops weren’t enough to salvage this questionable mess. Let’s talk about it!

“Backdraft 2” follows Sean McCaffrey (Joe Anderson), Stephen’s son, who also works out of the Chicago Police Department’s Station 17. His uncle, Brian (Baldwin), is now the Deputy District Chief there, and the two get along well enough. But things take an ominous turn when five kids are killed by a fire backdraft on Halloween, prompting an investigation into the possible involvement of arson. To crack the case, Sean questions notorious arsonist Ronald Bartel (Sutherland), who provides insight into a covert terrorist group led by a dangerous individual.

None of this sounds ludicrous on paper, but “Backdraft 2” isn’t sincere about telling a coherent story, which is apparent in the way Sean is introduced to us. Anyone who hasn’t seen Howard’s film will be at a disadvantage here, as the sequel spends no time recapitulating key events or explaining who the heck Sean is supposed to be. Sean also shares an instinctive bond with fire as an element (?), which is meant to explain why he’s such a competent arson investigator. While “Backdraft” also treats fire as a sentient entity, this whimsical plot point is grounded by the film’s realistic fire scenes and the fact that the McCaffrey brothers are decently well-rounded characters.

So, is “Backdraft 2” an under-baked sequel or hot stuff? Well, it isn’t completely unwatchable, as it’s pretty easy to enjoy Sean’s shenanigans (and the film’s needlessly convoluted plot) if you turn your brain off. That said, there are hardly any fire scenes here, thanks to a limited budget and the need to insert a bizarre espionage side-story involving top-secret missiles. If that’s not your cup of tea, then Russell’s 1991 original will make for a much better viewing experience.