In Nyoka and the Lost Amulet of Vultura, Nyoka is the granddaughter of Nyoka Gordon of "The Perils of Nyoka." Viewers may recall in that movie a papyrus connected with the Lost Tablet of Hippocrates, and ultimately treasure, was sought.
The villain, Crimson Skull, is vaguely associated with a less-than-admirable group of traders introduced at the beginning of the movie at a jungle trading post run by a middle-aged to older woman named Congo Kate (who is not so great in this movie). He seeks the Amulet that had been worn by villainess Vultura, which will give him power to control the gorilla Satan, the latter-day version of Vultura's executioner gorilla in Perils. It also gives him the power to conjure up Vultura, to raise her from the dead. This in turn would give him the power to control villagers, who fear Satan, and reap mining profits. (In a good nostalgic moment, a picture of Lorna Gray as Vultura shows in the background.) As for Nyoka, she is a "protector" of the villagers, so to have her out of the way is also beneficial.
Nyoka is an attractive large-breasted woman in the athletic-looking tomboy way. Her sister Rulah, who does not emerge till late in the movie, is not attractive, but is a compelling character. She is very vital to the strong finale.
The Amulet changes hands in the movie, sort of paralleling the fights for the papyrus in Perils. Because his face is covered by a skull mask, we do not find out who Crimson Skull is till the end.
The acting is of the subpar quality that seems sort of intentional in Indie movies; I am not always sure if is intentional. But here, it is really not that bad; I think the "sort of intentional" applies more to plots that have a tongue-in-cheek nature, like here. Whatever, there is no lack of enjoyment.
Nyoka's cleavage shows in her outdoor top. One wishes for some nudity from her and her sister (not Congo Kate)-perhaps there should have been more women in the plot too. No complaints about not having it in the original, but it is really called for here. For one thing, the dialogue seems to ask for it. There are a few jokes of a sexual nature, including referencing Nyoka's chest. But no fulfillment, so nudity is a treat that is missing.
On the other hand, there is no shortage of fighting, action, captures, and violence. Like in the original, action dominates, but it is more violent (this is the 21st Century).
In the early stages, the viewer is likely to think this movie is perhaps going to be OK not great. It had the typical limited number of characters of Indie movies. A jungle background yes, but with the sparcity/stillness in physical background and background sounds of Indie movies. The dialogue and the underlying themes seem not that compelling, although the general mysterious treasure hunt atmosphere bears well.
As the movie progresses, it gets better, as the plot and characters richen and more characters come aboard. The rousing finale, with many twists, emerges gradually. More characters are introduced aside from Nyoka's sister, including Cassib, not an exact parallel of Vultura's sidekick of the original. The status of Vultura is an item that hangs in the balance, but it is just one of many themes and developments.
The ending was so strong that I give this an 8, considerably higher than I suspected I would end up giving it earlier.
