Gods Must Be Crazy II: Still Funny, But The Pacing...

Okay, so I just rewatched The Gods Must Be Crazy II. Look, the first one? Comedy gold. Pure, innocent, hilarious gold. This one...it's...good? Ish? Xixo is always a joy to watch, N!xau was a legend. The man just owned the screen, even doing his own stunts! The story, kid kinda felt ripped off when his daughters and son ended up on the back of a truck, but I will say the concept of him just tracking is pretty cool. But man, the pacing is just...off. It feels like they tried to cram three movies into one. You've got Xixo tracking his kids, the soldier subplot that needed a bit more meat on the bone or better directing, and the two scientist characters! They are funny but were just kind of...there and felt poorly directed. Like the first one had that perfect blend of slapstick and genuine heart, and the sequel loses some of that. Certain directing choices just don't land and throw the pace of the movie way off the mark. Don't get me wrong, there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. Xixo's interactions with the modern world are always funny, and the physical comedy is still top-notch. But it's a bit frustrating because you can see the potential for something truly great, but it just gets bogged down in unnecessary subplots or the directing isn't on point. All in all, worth a watch if you're a fan of the original, but don't expect it to reach the same heights. It's like they forgot what made the first one so tight and just threw everything at the wall to see what stuck. Still some gems in there, though, just gotta dig for 'em and try not to cringe at some of the dated humor. The cast does what they can, too, you can tell they are really giving it there all!