After the success of the 1988 comedy movie and in an age of reboots, remakes, and sequels to classic movies, Eddie Murphy and the cast of Coming To America, with a couple of extra characters are back to thrill audiences with the sequel, Coming 2 America.
The first thing that hits you in the movie is a heavy dose of nostalgia from the 1988 movie, and that went on to be the theme of the whole movie – heavy doses of nostalgia, medium doses of comedy, and low doses of what should have been an avenue to pass the importance of gender equality across.
Coming 2 America’s story was built around the fact that Prince Akeem had a son with another woman before he fell for Lisa, and now that the kingdom is threatened by General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), Prince Akeem must journey back to America to bring his heir back and take his rightful place, because his other 3 daughters are not eligible to rule Zamunda.
The story was full of nostalgia, comedy, and growth for all characters, however, the final act of the movie was rushed and begged the question of how you can meet, fall in love, and want to marry someone all in a single week.
My favourite scene was the subtle but emotional scene between Prince Akeem and King Jaffe. It was a short, simple, and solemn scene but impactful enough to punch you back to reality before taking you back to the fictional world of Zamunda and all the comedy the movie had to offer.
One very commendable thing was the ravishing and absolutely delightful costumes by Ruth E. Carter, who also was the brains behind the costumes for Black Panther (though I noticed she took a few ideas from Black Panther for Coming 2 America.) The costumes were a spectacle and added even more colour to the nostalgia and comedy.
General Izzi’s character was not compelling enough as a villain because he was written in a comedic way, which wasn’t a problem, but there was no sense of urgency or a showing of the threat he was said to possess to be able to overthrow the king and claim the kingdom for himself.
As earlier stated, the movie missed the opportunity to challenge the status quo and pass a message to everyone to put an end to the old ways and say no to gender inequality and bias.
P.S: I advise you to watch the prequel, Coming To America, if you haven’t, before watching this movie because even though the flashbacks explained why what was happening in Coming 2 America was happening, you will appreciate each scene better and enjoy the full experience if you watch the prequel.
Coming 2 America is currently available to stream/download on Amazon Prime and is screening in cinemas nationwide.
What do you think?