A Jóia do Nilo

"The Jewel of the Nile" is a follow-up to "Romancing the Stone". It lacks the greatness of the original but it keeps the same spirit. This one has lots of adventure and action (even more than the original, and is also far more violent).

Robert Zemeckis didn't return to direct this one, but 4 of the same actors reprise their roles: Michael Douglas (who also produced it), Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito and Holland Taylor. The rest of the cast is entirely different. There are plenty of new characters and new villains.

As the title says, this movie takes us not to Colombia again, but to the Egyptian deserts (in Africa, close to the Nile river). Exotic like the original's but a completely different scenario than the original's.

The main villain in this is Omar Khalifa (well portrayed by Spiros Focás). He is just as treacherous and dangerous as Zolo from the original film. Like Zolo, he fools Joan Wilder so that she falls in his entrapments. He pretends to be a good person, but he's a brutal dictator. But I do like Omar's Egyptian accent. He speaks with a charming accent. Funny that he plays an Egyptian when the actor is Greek, but then, Demis Roussos is a Greek who was born in Egypt.

Avner Eisenberg does a nice portrayal of The Jewel but the character has a mix of charm and silliness and isn't always lovable.

This film has some really funny and great sequences, but also has a large number of faults and does not possess the charm of the original. Therefore, it doesn't match the original's greatness.

Apparently Michael and Kathleen only made this movie because their contract forced them to. Kathleen even attempted to back it out but was threatened by 20th Century Fox to be sued with a $25 million lawsuit. Geez, that is just so wrong! They shouldn't have been forced to do something they didn't want. I sort of can see why they didn't want to do it and why Robert Zemeckis refused to make the sequel.

I used to like this movie almost as much as the original. But now it doesn't seem that great to me anymore. Looking at it now, many things about it don't make much sense. The original is a great blockbuster and a timeless classic.

A somewhat sketchy screenplay and unsteady direction sink "The Jewel of the Nile", the sequel to "Romancing the Stone". Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas are taking it easy on their yacht, but soon become a bit bored with their now simple lives. Turner gets an invitation from a suspicious sheik in the Middle East who has a dastardly plan up his sleeves. Danny DeVito is also along for the ride once again as everyone is searching for the seemingly unobtainable jewel. Likeable performances are the main attraction, but the film is a large step behind "Romancing the Stone". 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I have given this movie a 7/10 because, taken on its own merits, it is just a delightful movie to watch. It's funny, although the slapstick sometimes is a little over done; but good wins out over evil, and leaves you satisfied at its conclusion. It reminds me of the "On the Road" movies made by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour during the forties, but with better, if not sometimes outlandish, special effects and chases (e.g., the F-16 chase) and just as many, if not more, one liners.

However, the movie is more than just comedy. It pits secular evil against a spiritual goodness (the Jewel), albeit a spiritual goodness which on the surface seem naive and comic...but which, in reality, achieves its goals through that apparent naivty. That is a serious overtone which many of the previous comments on the movie seem to have overlooked. The Jewel does not perform miracles, but his presence and comic actions create an aura of the miraculous.

There are two kinds of good movies: The movies that, because of one or more characteristics, win grammys, oscars, and much lauding by critics. Gladiator comes to mind. Great cinematography, plot, acting.

Then, there are movies, that, although they don't win critical acclaim, seem to find their way onto my TV much more than an oscar-winner. Princess Bride is a good one. Timothy Dalton's bid for a James Bond movie as well. And Jewel of the Nile.

Jewel of the Nile is not a stellar specimen of a film in any way. There are movies that are better filmed, better acted, better scripted, ones that don't have as many plot holes, whatever the comparison. It doesn't leave you in a state of deep pondering or leave you not wanting to go to bed for fear of your life. But it is a movie that I, and my family, put in when we want to watch something light, uninvolved, comical, and with actors we like to see. It's something to watch on a Sunday afternoon, over whatever sorry excuse for lunch I decide to have, and to go to sleep on the couch to. It's a good movie to put in and listen to while doing housework, homework, or another activity. It is full of great one-liners that find their way into conversation as well as a severe cheesiness factor in some parts(which isn't a bad thing).

Bottom line, I guess, is this: You will find movies that are of superior quality to this one. Ones that you will feel outweigh this one in every single way. All the same, I would highly recommend adding this movie to your cabinet (but purchase and view Romancing the Stone first) because every once in a while, you'll come back to the Nile.

As much i have enjoyed the chemistry of this cast in Romancing and War Of The Roses i felt that even that strong bond could not save Jewel Of The Nile from being a dud of a film.The first film had a much stronger Indiana Jones type feel to it,Douglas and Turner hit it off superbly and although that continues to some extent here,its mainly a tired retread that isn't quite as much fun,partly due to the barren desert setting as opposed to the lively mud slides and tropical setting of the first film.The finale of the film is also not a satisfying as the first film and one is left to ponder what was the point of it all.Its a below average action adventure film that relies too heavily on the chemistry of its actors to salvage some credit.