The Gods Must Be Crazy II

The spirit of early American comedy, as it flourished in the films of Chaplin and Keaton, is alive and well and living in South Africa. Writer/director Jamie Uys, who took the world by storm with the immensely popular and entertaining The Gods Must Be Crazy has drawn from the same well, and delivered a film that is even better than the first. Removing the emphasis on wars in South Africa which characterized the initial entry, Uys once again gives us the loveable Bushman Xixo (N! Xau) in another hilarious clash with modern civilization. This time out Xixo's two children, a young girl and her younger brother, come across some very strange animal tracks, and end up becoming accidental stowaways on a elephant tusk poacher's truck. When Xixo discovers his children are missing, he sets out to find them. Meanwhile, a freak storm has blown a small mini-plane carrying Dr. Ann Taylor (Lena Farugia), a lawyer from New York, and Dr. Stephen Marshall (Hans Styrdom), a zoologist, into the heart of the Kalahari. While close by, two soldiers, an African and a Cuban, keep trading their roles as captive and captor. As the various parties struggle valiantly against adamant badgers, pesky hyenas, and protective ostriches, their separate paths eventually converge in a slam bang finale. It's a shame that almost no one attempts simple physical comedy these days (discounting the endlessly boring "comedies" about body parts and bodily functions). The early greats like Chaplin and Keaton would have been appalled at what passes for "humor" in American film today, but they surely would have giggled over this wonderful gem. A great movie experience for the whole family. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--Mar. 9, 2004--Columbia TriStar, 109/98 min., PG, $29.95--Making their debut on DVD in a double-disc set, the cult favorite 1980 The Gods Must Be Crazy and 1989 follow-up The Gods Must Be Crazy II both look a little shopworn (though the sequel is less so) but boast serviceable anamorphic widescreen transfers and Dolby Digital stereo sound. Unfortunately, the extras are a bit on the skimpy side. The Gods Must Be Crazy includes the alternately fascinating and frustrating 25-minute featurette 'Journey to Nyae Nyae,' in which filmmaker/enthusiast Daniel Riesenfeld went to South Africa to visit with N!xau in 1990 and again shortly before his death in 2003: the footage is intriguing, but almost none of N!xau's comments (which take up about one-quarter or more of the running time) are translated. The Gods Must Be Crazy II includes the seven-minute featurette 'Buster Reynolds Remembers Jamie Uys,' in which cinematographer Reynolds fondly reminisces about the director, who died in 1996. Bottom line: while not the spiffiest of transfers and rather bare bones, extra-wise, we'll take the Gods any way we can get them, and as a double-disc set for $29.95, they're a steal.]