Mike Lowery
I haven’t had a charm to warm up the and check it out yet but if the majority of reviews are anything to go by, “Coming 2 America” might be just be the comfort food I’m beseeching right now.
The film dropped a day early on Amazon Prime – it’s a global release, so rather than make some territories wait 24-hours later than others, they just popped up it up for everyone once March 5 came around – and if Twitter is anything to go by, audiences seem to be having a good time with it.
Critics seem genuinely surprised by it too, discovering a sequel that’s repetitive – quite a few, I’ve noticed, are referring to it as a rewrite of the original – but an easy, enjoyable watch.
Just before I set this article to publish, Rotten Tomatoes had it standing at 52% – so it’s going to need a few more favourable reviews to get it a ‘fresh’.
Here’s what a small handful of the critics are saying :
“..serving up nearly word-for-word repeats of amusing bits from the original, but they don’t necessarily play the same in this context.” – Variety
“Recaptures the comedic magic of the original. More Brewer and Murphy (and Snipes) collaborations, please!”- Asheville Movies
”[I]n maintaining the simple and genuine feeling of an old narrative archetype updated for the modern age, the sequel mostly works.”- Mark Reviews Movies
“It doesn’t feel like the filmmakers wrote a new script so much as they just … rewrote the old script” – Vulture
“…best enjoyed as a party, rather than a plot.” – Larsen On Film
”Beneath all of the goofiness and one-liners is a film that has more than a bit of heart and a message” – Akron Beacon Journal
“It’s a combination of nostalgia, good vibes and even a bit of “you can’t reheat a soufflé,” but if you loved the first one you’ll connect to this sequel. Wesley Snipes is rad!” – WBGR-FM
“A genial, mostly inoffensive, sometimes quite funny sequel” – New York Times
“Coming 2 America gets a few things wrong, yet beats the odds by getting so much right”- London Evening Standard
“If Coming to America was a sweet and imperfect lark, Coming 2 America is an uncanny heir.” – Film Racket
“Despite some genuinely funny and endearingly nostalgic moments, Coming 2 America attempts to do way too much with its plot rather than keep it simple. ” – Screen Rant
“By the end, “Coming 2 America” has us. It’s strange, these movies that create a warm feeling. It’s hard to say why or how.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“Coming 2 America is a surprise and a delight.” – Mashable
Interestingly enough, the film includes references to some of Murphy’s other films. At one stage there was even an appearance by some of the characters from Murphy’s “Nutty Professor” remake.
“There was a scene in this Coming 2 America that we just did. There was a scene where Clumps remembers the scene of circumcision. Originally, Clumps popped up in that scene. In the long run, it was very difficult. Was., And it would have been very expensive to do so.”
Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios
