COMING 2 AMERICA

 

Better late than never comes to mind with Coming 2 America, a sequel to the much-loved 1988 comedy that came out with Eddie Murphy riding the wave of success as America's comedy star in the late 80s. I was late to the party myself in watching the original some twenty years after it came out and, while I very much enjoyed it, there's always a danger in waiting so long to make a sequel to any film.

The African monarch Akeem (Eddie Murphy) learns he has a long-lost son in the United States and must return to America to meet this unexpected heir and build a relationship with his son.

Watching Coming 2 America was a bit of a nerve-racking experience, wanting the film to be funny and decent enough to warrant being made. In the hands of Craig Brewer, who directed Eddie Murphy previously in the hilarious Dolemite Is My Name, the film is more than safe as he delivers a worthy sequel whose heart is in the right place, providing copious amounts of humour and stupidity that we could all do with right now.

The country of Zamunda is such a fun place to be able to visit again, from the array of strange characters right through to the colourful costumes, it's a blast to be back and it's something that you can just feel from the cast and crew who contribute to making Coming 2 America such a feel-good film. It's not all shits and giggles mind as the film does attempt to get a bit more serious at times but more often than not resorts back to its crazy antics.

Coming to the performances, it's really great to see Eddie Murphy back amongst the good comedy films again after a string of stinkers back in the late 90s-early 2000s. Murphy just has such a solid comedic presence and seeing him put it to great use again is enough to bring a smile to my face. The combination of old favourites returning and new faces getting a chance to mix it with them makes for a fresh feel to this sequel, Wesley Snipes and Jermaine Fowler being the best of the bunch.

So, get on fleek with your finest celebratory garments and get the party started because Coming 2 America is heading to Amazon Prime to be streamed from the comfort of your own home.

Verdict: ★★★½