'Coming 2 America': Darren Maule's official movie review
Eddie Murphy is known for playing many beloved and well-known characters, but few are as iconic as Prince Akeem - and now he has officially made his comeback...
Good Mauling, my neighbours!
Let's talk about one of my favourite movies.
'Coming To America' is what most people would consider a classic, some would go so far as to say that it has even achieved cult movie status.
It is considered a must-watch. It is on every possible 'Best-of-the-80's'/'Greatest-Comedies-of-all-time' movie lists, and even 30 years after its release, people still love Eddie Murphy's African Prince persona just as much as they did the first time they watched the movie.
When news of a sequel broke, fans of the original were beyond excited to see what exciting and unpredictable adventure Prince Akeem, and his trusty advisor/friend and companion Semmi (played by Arsenio Hall), would be getting into.
Myself included.
If you have no idea what the second movie in the 'Coming To America' film series is about, let me fill you in:
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.
Now, if movie history has taught us anything, it's that a sequel isn't a necessity and for every sequel that turns out better than the original, there are five absolutely horrific, straight-to-DVD sequels that should never have seen the light of day.
Seeing as it is 30 years after the first 'Coming To America' hit the silver screen, things could have gone terribly wrong.
What if they were not able to get the original cast back together?
What if it isn't nearly as funny as the first one?
Lucky for us, none of these fears came true.
Instead, almost every single main character from the first movie made an appearance in the sequel, along with a few new characters that might have stolen the show every so often.
While the movie might not have been as much of a comedic revelation as the original, they were able to create a bunch of inside jokes which you will really appreciate if you are a fan of the first 'Coming To America'.
The acting was as stellar as expected and the movie was a joy to watch.
That's all I'll leave you with for now, before I say too much, we don't do spoilers here.
Final Maule Movie Rating: 5/5 Crowns
P.S. - I even got the chance to speak to one of the sequel's breakout stars, a proudly Durban actress who is carving out her place amongst Hollywood's elite, Nomzamo Mbatha!
You can listen to the complete interview right here:
And if at this point we have still not done enough to convince you, watch this trailer:
For more of the best Darren, Keri, and Sky moments, listen here:
Main image courtesy of Amazon Studios