Hi everybody and welcome to my first 2021 movie review! While it may have taken a while to do get one out I do plan on getting these out as soon as possible as well as the catch up reviews I’ve been doing for movies that came out last year. To kick things off I will be talking about a long belated sequel to a movie that I am very fond of. Yes I am of course talking about Coming 2 America the sequel to the 1988 smash hit that was originally intended to be a theatrical release but had to be sold to Amazon Prime due to the pandemic. Now I actually did review the original to coincide with the release of this new movie (if you want you can check that out before reading to hear my more in depth thoughts) and the short version is that I absolutely love Coming to America as it is one of my favorite comedies that I just love watching when I get the chance. So when it comes to this sequel I really didn’t know what to make of it as while these types of follow ups don’t have a great track record, I did like the talent they had onboard, and recent year later sequels like Bad Boys For Life and Bill & Ted Face the Music have really surprised me with how good they turned out to be so I was optimistic that this would follow suit. As it turns out though while there are some things I did enjoy about it I was unfortunately rather mixed on this one on the whole. Now let’s return back to the land of Zamunda to see what our old friends have been up to after so long!
30 years after Prince Akeem found his true love in Lisa, he is now living his life as a Prince with Lisa and his three daughters by his side in the African nation of Zamunda. Unfortunately though Akeem’s father, King Jaffe Joffer is seriously ill and when he’s gone it is time for Akeem to finally take his rightful place as king of the land a role he himself is unsure if he can handle. But before the funeral commences King Jaffe summons Akeem where it is revealed that due to some well… desperate measures taken by royal assistant, Semmi, in New York when the two were searching for Akeem’s true love, that Akeem has a son living in Queens named Lavelle. Since tradition demands that a male heir take the throne, and with time of the esscense with neighbor nation, Nexdoria, ruled by dictator General Izzi, planning a takeover Akeem must find this son of his and bring him back to Africa so he can teach him the ways of royalty despite Lavelle being more than a little unsure of this idea and his eldest daughter, Meeka, being more than a little upset about this as well. Can Akeem be able to figure out what’s best for his family and the kingdom at large before it’s too late?
The movie does get off to an admittedly promising start. I liked the idea of spending more time in Zamunda as we only got to experience it in the beginning of the original and it’s neat expanding the world of the movie while also making this sequel stand out from the original. We also get to see Akeem in a high position of power and how he handles the job has the promise of a potentially satisfying arc while introducing plenty of characters like his daughters or General Izzi that do have potential as well to be nice additions to the franchise and be a part of a fun story. Plus the movie does a nice job of reuniting the audience with these characters with plenty of neat callbacks to the original that do a smile on the face and with some even being rather clever in how they are handled. However as the movie goes along and Lavelle is training to be King the movies becomes really unfocused and messy with so many different plotlines going on, that none of them get the amount of development they need to be compelling or developed and it feels like it’s just jumping from scene to scene without a natural flow to the proceedings. It also does not help that one of the main plot threads involves Lavelle falling in love with a Zamundian servant named Mirembe devolves to pretty much re hashing the plot of the original (apparently the law regarding there only being male heirs to the throne and only those of royal blood must marry still applies even after the events of the first) just not as compelling and thus does not have much new to say regarding it’s messaging. Even the callbacks got a little too much as it felt like the movie was using them to distract from the actual movie at hand. The comedy can also be pretty hit or miss as some jokes did not really land for me, but there were actually a number that did manage to get some chuckles and occasionally an actual laugh (the riff on the cab joke from the original in particular was really clever). Plus I can’t say I hated it as it’s still watchable and I did enjoy seeing these characters again so as a fun time with good company there’s certainly some enjoyment to be had and I don’t think that the plots that were presented were necessarily bad conceptually but rather none got the proper attention they needed to succeed or the writers just opted to tread already familiar territory even if it’s not as well executed as before.
I will give the movie this though, it did succeed in one area the original did as well. That would be in really capturing the fictional nation of Zamunda in a fun and creative light and we get to see more of it in this movie. The production design feels grand and regal fitting the feel of a rich African nation nicely and the many aspects of the Palace are a lot of fun to watch. Also the costumes are a highlight of the movie as they are all lavish and colorful popping out in every scene, appropriate given the over the top and exaggerated nature of these movies. It’s really great stuff and I must give credit to Ruth E. Carter for designing them as they are a stand out part of the movie and definitely come in handy when the movie has a lot of energy to it like in the many dance numbers. Only real criticisms that I can give the movie from a visual standpoint is that some of the CGI used like with the scenes of a lion are not the best and very noticeable but it’s honestly not used that much to be a major hindrance. Although I will admit that the de aging used in an early flashback was very impressive and shows how the technology has evolved. Plus the soundtrack can be fun as there are many songs that were played in the original that return here and like I mentioned that dance numbers themselves have an infectious energy to them that do make the uneven proceedings have some enjoyability to them.
Most everyone from the original reunite for this sequel and it is nice to see them even if I don’t think they are utilized to their fullest here. Of course Eddie Murphy returns to reprise one of my favorite roles of his in Akeem who is now set to rule over Zamunda. He is quite good as a more mature version of the character and I like the idea of exploring the struggles he faces taking the throne and the mistakes he makes along the way. Problem is the script makes him come off as rather unlikable at times and he comes to repeat the mistakes of his father, which is conceptually not a bad idea for an arc, except the way it was done just lead to repeating the beats of the original. Plus for being the main character he gets unusually sidelined for a good chunk of the movie although that can be chalked to the unfocused nature of the screenplay. I will say though that when his relationship with Lisa (played very well once again by Shari Headley who gets some fun moments) is at the forefront, in particularly in the third act, it can be rather touching. As for Arsenio Hall as Semmi, well he is fun in the role again but I can’t say I completely love what was done with him as while yes he wasn’t exactly a saint in the first he still showed his support for Akeem on occasion, the reveal that he apparently drugged Akeem before he meet Lisa made him more unlikable and selfish than before and in a way that left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. Other returning players do make some welcome appearances though as James Earl Jones makes the most of his limited screen time as King Joffe Jofer, Paul Bates shows off his high vocals as palace servant, Oha, and John Amos as Mr. McDowell who also is not in the movie that much, but he does get one of the most touching and best scenes in the movie as he has a nice heart to heart with Akeem (and of course the jokes regarding the McDowell’s restaurant are very funny once again. Then there are the newcomers starting with Jermain Fowler as Akeem’s son, Lavelle. Now I think Fowler is a lot of fun in the role and brings charisma to the character and I think he and Nomzano Mbatha (as Mirembe) had some sweet interactions, yet I don’t feel his arc or relationships are as investing as they should be and I wish there was a way that he could have been utilized in a meaningful way without his arc feeling like it’s the same that Akeem did just not as developed. I also wish we spent more time with Akeem’s daughters as they are unfortunately extremely underutilized despite what the beginning of the movie may imply with Kiki Layne’s Princess Meeka getting the most to do out of the three of them and even then the writing does not serve the character well as she is just there to be disapproving of Lavelle and eventually try and help him become a prince. Lavelle’s family also mainly exists for laughs even if Leslie Jones as Lavelle’s mother does get some, especially in her interactions with Lisa while Tracy Morgan proves is always a strong comedic force and he did have his moments as Uncle Reem. Of course the stand out among the new players for me is easily Wesley Snipes as General Izzi. I am a big fan of Snipes and he once again gives a fun and extremely over the top villainous performance as Akeem’s rival and he gives the film a nice shot in the arm whenever he is onscreen (although even he does feel a little underused and Teyana Taylor does not get much to do as his daughter, Bopoto). Oh and yes we do get to see Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall dress up in extremely well done make up and costumes and play different colorful characters like the guys in the barber shop and Reverend Brown among others and they are just as amusing and fun to watch as they were before although I am a little disappointed that they did not come up with any new ones to play save for Hall as the witch doctor, Baba. Plus there are plenty of neat, clever cameos here and there that do get some laughs. Still just like the story there were aspects of the characters I did like even if I do not feel they were served as well as they could have been despite mostly game performances.
As you can tell the best way I can describe Coming 2 America is just an extremely mixed bag. On one hand the movie is unfocused and messy, the many plot lines and characters don’t get the needed development, the comedy can stumble at times, and it just kind of becomes a sequel with not much new to say, merely repeating what it’s predecessor did. Yet on the other hand I can’t say I had some fun with it or at least enjoyed it at times as there are a number of elements like some of the humor, the occasional bursts of energy, the heartwarming moments, some character aspects, the production and costumes, and the casting that do work really well and I feel had the story been more focused and developed this could have been a more than worthy follow up. It’s a frustrating case of potential being left untapped but at the very least it was watchable and I think if you look at it as a good time with good company and getting to hang out with these characters again then I think that could improve the enjoyment factor as there were plenty of parts where I found myself smiling and getting caught up in the proceedings. I guess I was hoping for a little more after recent other long belated sequels surprised the heck out of me but just because this one did not entirely work for me does does not mean that my love of the original is tarnished or that I’m automatically expecting the worst from some of the upcoming many years later sequels as the it’s always better to hope for the best possible result from these projects even if sometimes they do not always pan out.
Rating: C+
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