Coming 2 America (Amazon Prime) Movie Review

If he keeps this up, maybe Beverly Hills Cop 4 will right a whole lot of wrongs.

by Casimir Harlow

Arguably the best anybody could have expected from a 33-years-in-the-making sequel, with Murphy on fine post-Dolemite form, affording a warm, witty romp back to Zamunda.

1988's Coming to America is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Eddie Murphy's career, where he finally achieved absolute superstardom, and managed to create one of the highest profile African-American-driven movies not just of its time, but in Hollywood. Many may prefer his fresh breakthrough in features like 48 Hours, Trading Places or the classic Beverly Hills Cop, but Coming to America was an "Eddie Murphy Production", and - unfortunately - subsequent to that his career mostly took a downturn, with fans in for a very long wait until Netflix's Dolemite is My Name, which saw director Craig Brewer bringing something out of the man we hadn't seen in decades: a character, as opposed to just Murphy being, well, Murphy.

Reuniting for this long-gestating sequel which, in the Covid landscape, was picked up for a simultaneous Amazon Prime Original release, fans will be pleasantly surprised to find the legend still has something to give, slipping back into the shoes of a slew of characters (often far funnier than his lead) and enjoying the return to 1988 highs. Coming 2 America won't set the world alight, but for fans of the first film - who may well have recently revisited it either on Amazon Prime or by way of the recent 4K Blu-ray release - it marks an organic and well-meaning sequel which updates the narrative for modern sensibilities but does so in a way which doesn't exhibit any of that thunderously blunt agendarizing that plagues features like Dark Fate.

This 2021 sequel has a wonderful throwback feel

With Zamunda under threat because reigning Prince Akeem is likely to inherit the throne but has no male heir - just three daughters - Akeem discovers that he may well have a son he never knew about from his trip to Queens, all those decades back. Therefore, he must once again return to America, find his son and return with him to solidify the future of Zamunda.

Coming 2 America
Say hello to my little friend

Coming 2 America lands on Amazon Prime in 4K Ultra HD, with a 2.00:1 aspect ratio. Although not graced with Dolby Vision (Amazon appear to have long ditched the format), at least it was launched in 4K and with HDR to boot, unlike several other recent 'originals', where the 4K version did not appear until several days after launch (Greenland, I Care a Lot), and where even those in 4K don't always get HDR too. The Digitally-shot production has a very Netflix-y vibe in terms of style, and looks suitably impressive in 4K HDR, with a surprising number of reasonably competent effects shots, and lavish settings largely in-line with the original (indeed, almost all the sets have been replicated here).

The script is perhaps surprisingly sharp

It takes just a few minutes to know exactly where Coming 2 America is going to land, but that's actually a trait common to the 80s projects like the original which were capable of taking a surprisingly predictable story and injecting a whole lot of fresh fun into the twisty voyage to the endgame. In that way, this 2021 sequel has a wonderful throwback feel, taking you on a loving tribute tour which enjoys modern ideas but trades in classic, familiar, characters doing exactly what you would expect of them.

Murphy is on strong form, all things considered, and remains even better - and still largely unrecognisable - in his slew of colourful cameos, although it's once again Arsenio Hall who steals the show, not as Akeem's beleaguered aide, Semmi, but in a number of brilliant cameos, both old and new (Baba!). The ensemble cast makes space for everybody from James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, John Amos, Louie Anderson and Vanessa Calloway - all from the first film - to the likes of Morgan Freeman, Leslie Jones, KiKi Layne and a suitably over the top Wesley Snipes.

The script is perhaps surprisingly sharp, with some fast throwaway lines and nods which work well to give the impression that they actually put some measure of effort into it (everything from Freeman's speech to the barbershop debate on gentrification), whilst the core of the piece is warm and familiar, enjoying aspirations of 'merely' providing a solid piece of entertainment, and doing that extremely well. Sure, it's likely not a future classic in the making, but it never really had to be: it just needed to work as an effective, organic 2021 follow-up to a 1988 classic. And it does.

Coming 2 America is available in 4K Ultra HD on Amazon Prime from 5th March 2021.

Scores

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