Danny Devito Movie:

				Salesrank: 174547
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
This sequel to 1984's rip-snorting romantic-adventure, Romancing the Stone, is a moderately entertaining tale that pales by comparison to its predecessor. Romance novelist Kathleen Turner and retired soldier-of-fortune Michael Douglas return as a now-complacent couple. Bored with life on a yacht, they find excitement thrust upon them when she accepts a speaking engagement in the Middle East. Once there, she is abducted and finds herself involved with the "jewel" everyone is chasing. Douglas teams up once more with Danny DeVito to rescue his love. Less charming and more predictable than the original, this suffers for one simple reason: the characters have nowhere to go. In the original story we watched Turner blossom from timid storyteller to lusty adventuress. In this flick she is too much like all the other action adventure babes we've seen before. --Rochelle O'Gorman

The Jewel of the Nile [Region 2] Reviews:
OUTSTANDING DVD EDITION
2008-11-19 - I'm the only one who enjoyed this movie more than Romancing of stone? Actualy i've seen this one 5 years before Romancing, during my childhood and i'm very pleased about this edition.

Fantastically Bad Cinema: Jewel of the Nile
2008-11-02 - I had forgotten about the movie "Jewel of the Nile" (1985) until I attended a small performing arts theater tucked into the wilderness of the Lake Region of Maine. There - in a theater that looked more like a barn than a stage -- I caught the rather amusing one-man show of Avner Eisenberg.

He did physical comedy, mostly complicated pratfalls. While perusing his biography in the program, I found this nugget: Eisenberg appeared in "The Jewel of the Nile" as the jewel.

What? I thought, is it even possible that I never watched the sequel to "Romancing the Stone" (1984)? But I had no memory of the movie -none. So when I got home, I rented it.

And it all came back to me - like a horrible nightmare.

"The Jewel of the Nile" is proof that you can't always return to the well. Because sometimes the well water turns into putrid sewage and if you drink it: you will die.

My first reaction was to track down Eisenberg and beat him with a rubber chicken.

"Jewel" is an epic disaster - a sequel so ill-thought out, poorly directed, horribly written, and featuring performances so lackluster one could argue that Michael Douglas wasn't even aware that he was in the movie. And I had seen it before - but had purged the memory from my brain.

I actually turned it off, but the next night, I was drawn back to it like a moth to a candle. The movie was so damn bad that I couldn't help myself. It's unfortunate because "Romancing the Stone" was such an unexpected pleasure. It brought a refresh to the old-fashioned romantic adventure - with some laughs thrown in.

What made "Romancing the Stone" a hit was the chemistry between Kathleen Turner's Joan Wilder and Douglas's Jack Colton. She was the repressed writer and he was the wild, roguish adventurer. The way the two actors played off each other made for a funny, delightful escape.

However, the success led to the rushed making of the sequel the very next year.

And sometimes speed kills.

The biggest problem with "Jewel" is the writing. The script is so improbable that it borders on the ridiculous. We're supposed to believe that Wilder - a bestselling romance novelist - would agree to write a biography about a Middle Eastern dictator she knows absolutely nothing about (he turns out to be a deranged tyrant).

Never mind the outrageous probability that said dictator, Prince Omar (played without irony by Spiros Focas), would even consider personally traveling halfway across the world to recruit a romance writer as his official biographer. The question viewers want answered is: "Why?" Unfortunately, there is no answer.

Then there's an attempt at a plot where Eisenberg - playing an oafish, but lovable religious leader - must be killed by the dictator so he can become the ultimate ruler of this fictional Middle Eastern kingdom before Eisenberg can be. Who this "Jewel" is and how he became a powerful religious icon is never explained. In fact, we're not quite sure what religion we're even talking about.

But forget all the plot holes and the lapses in reason that riddle the script. Hell, forget about the bloated budget and the unnecessary explosions and camel chases (but most of all forget about Danny DeVito, who delivers one of his worse performances ever).

The real problem with "Jewel" is that Douglas and Turner spend the majority of the movie separated.

Amazing, isn't it?

But how can that be, one might ask. Wasn't the success of the first movie the tit-for-tat exchanges between the actors? Wasn't it the super-charged romantic chemistry that ignited the screen the first time?

Apparently, the producers, director and writers forgot about that.

Like most of the movies we feature in Fantastically Bad Cinema - "The Jewel of the Nile" has to be seen to be believed. Just suspend any notion that you might be watching a real movie and dive into one of the most disappointing busts of the eighties.

Why not read some more literate blather at the Dark Party Review at http://darkpartyreview.blogspot.com/.

Jewel of the Nile - Blu-ray Info
2008-10-18 - Version: U.S.A / Region A
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 1:45:55
Movie size: 34,20 GB
Disc size: 40,38 GB
Average video bit rate: 35.28 Mbps

DTS-HD Master Audio English 4256 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 4256kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 1536kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 4.0 / 48kHz / 448kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 224kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 224 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 224kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 224 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 224kbps

Subtitles: English SDH / Chinese / French / Korean / Spanish
Number of chapters: 25

#Commentary by Director Lewis Teague
#6 Deleted scenes - (HD)
# Romancing the Nile: A winning sequel - (SD - 21 minutes)
# Adventures of a romance novelist - (SD - 8 minutes)
# Theatrical trailer

One of the best comedy and action movies of all times!
2008-10-05 - It's one of the best comedy and action movies of all times. The dialogues are witty and tickling. The actions are non-stop. The chemistry between the two main characters are sizzling and lovely. I've watched it four times over the years.

I own it. Another favorite comedy of mine is Just Like Heaven.

A Good Continuation
2008-06-05 - It's been a few months since Jack T. Colton (Michael Douglas) and Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) sailed off into the sunset (literally). They are now in the Greek isles. Jack loves their life of leisure living on their yacht, but Joan is getting board and is fighting a major case of writer's block. In fact, she can't seem to finish her latest book, which is already overdue to the publisher.

Things change when Joan gets an offer she thinks she can't refuse. Omar (Spiros Focas) is about to become King of his country in Africa, and he is a fan of Joan's work. He wants Joan to write his biography. She is delighted and jumps at the chance, even though Jack isn't interested, and the two split.

But things aren't as they seem. Joan soon learns that Omar isn't all he pretended to be and she must write only what he approves. Jack gets wind of the danger and set off to rescue her. Can he find her? Will they get away? And what is this jewel that everyone is trying to find?

Often time, sequels feel like retreads, going over the same ground as the original. Here, the movie truly feels like a continuation of Romancing the Stone, putting familiar characters in a completely new situation. I found the film just as funny, adventurous, and romantic as the first.

It does have a big flaw, however. Danny DeVito returns as Ralph, one of the bumbling bad guys from the first movie. While he give another fine performance, I found his inclusion highly unlikely. And his storyline went nowhere for most of the film as well. I think the film would have been stronger if they had left him out.

The first film had tons of foul language. This one continues the trend, although it seemed to be toned down some here. Still, parents will probably want to judge for themselves if it is appropriate for their child.

While I enjoy most sequels I see, I do notice they often aren't as good. This is a rare case where both films in the series are just as entertaining. So if you liked the first, don't hesitate to watch this one, too.