A Jóia do Nilo

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.

Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) has achieved her romantic dreams with Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) in this film's predecessor, Romancing the Stone. Or, wait, has she? The in-love twosome have been sailing around the world on Jack's boat, having many adventures. But, there is no ring on Joan's finger yet and she, as a successful romance novelist, is a bit bored with the life at sea. In addition, she has writer's block. Likewise, Jack has been taking Joan for granted. Therefore, when the two stop at an Arab port and Joan is charmed by a Middle East ruler, Omar, who wants her to write his autobiography, the lady writer says yes. Jack is not pleased. Then, too, Colton encounters an old nemesis, Ralph (Danny DeVito) who is interested in Jack helping him find a new treasure called "Jewel of the Nile". Soon, this awkward duo is trying to rescue Joan, who has actually been kidnapped by the evil Omar. Things go from bad to worse as Omar's cohorts blow up Jack's boat, with, thankfully, no one aboard. In desert country and being chased by bad dudes, Jack and Ralph decide to use a plane as a getaway vehicle and jet off, on the ground, across the Sahara. What fun! Can they rescue Joan and grab a treasure, too? This film doesn't have the charm of the first film, Romancing the Stone, as few sequels do. Nevertheless, it is cute, clever and funny, at times. The three stars, Turner, Douglas, and DeVito are a dynamite threesome while the unknown secondary cast is just fine. Yes, the scenery is lovely and does Turner and Douglas look young and attractive in their well-chosen costumes. With few offerings from Hollywood these days, in the romantic comedy genre, one has to "go back to the future" to find treasures, indeed.

This is a lesser follow-up to the blockbuster hit ROMANCING THE STONE that aims to repeat the same formula for maximum box office business. Unfortunately, it's a little off. While I enjoyed the first film, I didn't think it was any masterpiece and this film follows the law of diminishing returns in that everything we see is less, not more.

There's a greater focus on silly comedy here, as in the nonsensical dream sequence that re-introduces Douglas's character, and the characters seem more shrill and annoying than we saw previously. The story this time around takes place in the Mediterranean and North Africa, but the plot is even more lightweight and superfluous than before and there's precisely nothing to remember it by. It's pretty well paced, for sure, but in all other respects it's a forgettable film: a cheesy '80s grab for cash and nothing else.

Watch this movie as a precious relic of a time of freedom as you can see things that would be totally censored in today American movies! In a way, this movie is really close to early Tintin comics as it's pure fun in exotic places and for sure fun means native depicted as Clichés! So here Arabs and Africans are viewed as primitive, a bunch of tribes or peasants, Muslim rebels fighters are helpful and wise! It's hard to judge it against the Zemeckis movie because the setting is totally different: the first was jungle, green, water while now it's desert, sand, sun! I find that the trio has a real chemistry together, there is really some funny moments and if the movie drags a bit at the end, i had a pleasant watching!

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.