Rating 12a
Length 1h 50
Release 5.3.2021
Director Craig Brewer
About Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.
First Thoughts
I absolutely loved the first movie. It was one of those that I’d put on if I woke up early and got the run of the tv to myself. I loved the idea of this Prince wanting to find love. I mean, it was awesome to see the the fairytale from the other perspective, you know?!
I haven’t watched it for years, but that can be said for any film I watch ad nauseam. I had totally intended to have a rewatch before catching this sequel, but it kind of fell away from me. When it came to watching this, I did consider watching them together but what if nostalgia got in the way and a rewatch of the first got in the way of enjoying this offering?
The Good
- I found myself laughing, and laughing hard. That’s actually a pretty good feat considering I was watching alone. Whether it was a genuinely funny line, or a ‘I get that reference’, it didn’t matter. It hit my funny bone.
- There was so much call back. It was amazing how much there was and how it was done in a way that didn’t feel forced. It felt like coming home, to my childhood and at a time when the world wasn’t so bad.
- The cast is incredible. From bringing back original cast members, to new players and cameos. It is spot on.
- Wakanda forever. Damn, this film has Black Panther pride. From the accents the daughters use to subtle (and not so subtle) nods it really does send up the Marvel movie in a heartfelt way. Something that is only intensified when you discover there was a love of Coming to America on the Black Panther set.
- Jermaine Fowler is going to be one to watch. His portrayl of Lavelle was just charming.
- The commentary on feminism and the story arc of the three daughters is quite empowering. Yes, there’s the vibes at the start that I was worried would lead to a very different review, but the film does show you early on and is clever in revealing the views of Akeem.
- In the snowy world we live in today, noone would have blamed Murphy and Hall for dumping half their characters from the original. I mean, the boys at the barber shop skirted the line at the time but I was worried about their imput into the world of today. They won’t be to everyone’s liking, but i found it clever how they managed to keep them in the narrative while keeping them in-character.
The Bad
- It pains me to say this, but Leslie Jones was horrific in this film. All she did was scream and over pronounce her words. It was a characterture through and through and everyone else was actually acting. Yeah, Wesley Snipes brought a bit of the Nic Cage House of Ham to the proceedings, but Jones was painful to watch.
The Ugly
- Again with the rape of men in a comedy. I’m sick of this trope. Making it that he was drugged makes it worse, not excuses the behaviour. I’ll be honest, the reveal of this, really did have me reaching for the remote. I get that the film was trying to keep our protagonist a certain way, but when he’s getting daily blowjobs from the royal bathers, I don’t think the audience are too bothered if he saved himself for Lisa.
Final Thoughts
I’d say it was a case for me that everything just… worked. Will it be a rewatchable film? Time will tell, but I’m certainly glad I got to catch up with the Royal Family of Zamunda.
The Queens of Geekdom 