The Gods Must Be Crazy II

In this South African sequel to The Gods Must Be Crazy, African bushman named Xixo (N!xau) is on a long and winding journey in the hot desert, trying to find his lost children who were accidentally stowed away on a poachers' truck. Along the way, he encounters a couple of dueling soldiers trying to capture each other and two doctors, Stephen Marshall (Hans Strydom) and Ann Taylor (Lena Farugia), who are having troubles of their own. Like the first film, the three leading actors gave off a lot of physical comedy, from Xi's surprised and confused expressions as he spots the foreigners, to the awkward chemistry between Marshall and Taylor. While not much to a story compared to the first film, with just a lot of running around, bumping into wild animals and getting lost in the desert, there are still a bunch of innocent, slapstick and laugh out-loud comedy that will sure captivate an audience. I especially enjoyed Lena Farugia's performance as Ann Taylor and it's fun watching each character's misadventures in the big, hot desert. Jamie Uys did a pretty good job directing this movie, carefully assimilating the primitive villagers with the modern people. It's more non-stop fun, laughter and entertainment. Grade B

While "Gods...II" is not quite as hilarious as the first, it is still well worth seeing, especially for the performance of the lovely Lena Farugia. Two questions will come to mind. "Why haven't we seen her before?" and "Why haven't we seen her since?" Lena Farugia is an American born, New York trained actress living and working in South Africa, with experience as a writer and producer in television. I don't know if she did her own stunts in the movie, but if not, that was one beautiful stunt double!

The plot and story line are innocent. A non-violent adventure The movie is entertaining and humorous with refreshing morality. More movies like this are needed for the world today!

Sequels rarely come close to the original, and this is no exception. With the exception of N!xau, most of the cast has changed. It's an attempt to recapture the magic of the first movie, but it falls short. Yet, I still love it, and feel it's still a good movie, since there is a weaving of multiple stories. It's a nice film for fans of the original.

This sequel is definitely not as insightful about the nature of man as the original, but there're still more than enough slapsticks, romance and family drama to make up for it. The two children are particularly adorable, their strength comes from their innocence, without the precocity that has become the hallmark of Hollywood. Their storyline is thus the most heart-warming of all. The two soldiers from opposing forces provide much of the slapstick of movie, and they are very good, with exceptionally funny facial expressions. And let¡¯s not count Lena Farugia and Hans Strydom out, who play a doctor of law from New York and a zoologist on assignment ¨C their opposite-attract romance is rather stereotypical but Lena in particular is such a charming delight that I forget how much Strydom looks like Tom Selleck, instead, wonder why Lena had not since made another movie - yes, really sad :( - she could¡¯ve been a big star. So in the end, one very funny little film, worth every penny and more to rent or buy. Keep some band-aids with you while watching, as you may get some stitches in your side.