Moustache Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide Part 19 | Coming 2 America

As the lifting of the lockdown looks to be on the horizon - I said "looks to be", I didn't say "is" - it's time to return to a place we haven't been to in 30 years. That's right, in what could be one of the last entries in our Moustache Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide, we are going back to Zamunda!

There's still time to check out our Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide in its entirety, which you can find by clicking here.

It has been thirty years since Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) journeyed to America in search of his true love, and in that time he and Princess Lisa (Shari Headley) have raised three beautiful daughters. But under Zamundan law only a man can ascend the throne, and with the threat of war with the neighbouring Nextdoria looming, Akeem finds himself under pressure from the ailing King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) to produce a male heir. So when Baba the witch doctor (Arsenio Hall) has a vision of an illegitimate son living in Queens, Akeem and his old friend Semi (also Arsenio Hall) must once again venture to the United States.

On the face of it a return to Zamunda is a welcome one. Coming to America is a comedy classic, one that's as fun today as it was back in 1988. So to see how that fictional society has developed in the 21st century is an exciting prospect, especially when you see that most of the loveable characters that populated it are back, as well as a few new ones. Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Wesley Snipes, KiKi Layne and Nomzamo Mbatha make welcome additions, while the returning cast slip back into their roles with ease. Coming 2 America, like most sequels, takes the concept of the first movie and kind of flips it on its head, this time it's the Americans who are the fish out of water when they are brought to Africa. By choosing to focus more on Zamunda, we are able to explore the land and culture of this mostly unseen nation - not to mention some interesting royal traditions.

Despite how funny this all may sound, Coming 2 America still comes across like a direct-to-DVD sequel. One that never comes close to the glory of the original. Something I did not expect from the re-teaming of Murphy with Dolemite director Craig Brewer. That said, there are some funny moments, a few good cameos - watch out for Morgan Freeman - and the teaming of Shari Headley and Leslie Jones, which proves to be rather amusing, even if Headley and Arsenio Hall are more than a tad under used. One thing they do nail however, is the return to the My-T-Sharp barber shop, those boys are on top form! Mr Clarence (Murphy), Morris (Hall), Sweets (Clint Smith) and Saul (Murphy again) were one of the absolute highlights of the original, and the same can be said with the sequel. But the sequel lacks the fervour and excitement of its predecessor, something that becomes painfully obvious the more you watch.  

Even the important message that lies at the heart of this story - one of equality, and the responsibility of leaders to do what is right and make things better for their people, rather than simply falling back on tradition - is handled in a particularly passionless way, through a rather predictable story - one you'll undoubtedly have figured out within the first five minutes. It all revolves around the troubles with Nextdoria's leader; General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), who's still unhappy that Akeem didn't marry his sister, Imani (Vanessa Bell Calloway). Despite some impressive musical entrances, his threats never carried any real weight because we already know where it's all going. It's meant to build towards this epic conclusion/confrontation, but instead it simply fizzled out over the course of one mediocre scene, and the payoff is never really there. 

Despite a great cast and some amusing scenes, the return to Zamunda just isn't as fun as it should be. We came hoping for a big show, and what we got was something akin to Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate.

5/10

Both 'Coming to America' and 'Coming 2 America' are available on Amazon Prime.

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