Today’s quick review: The Jewel of the Nile. After six months of sailing the world with Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), romance novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is ready for a change. She gets the chance she was hoping for when Omar (Spiros Focas), the would-be leader of an African nation, invites her to write his biography. But when Omar turns out to be more dictator than savior, it’s up to Jack to rescue the woman he loves.
The Jewel of the Nile is a romantic comedy adventure about a writer whisked away on a perilous journey. The movie is a sequel to Romancing the Stone, which took Joan Wilder out of her New York apartment and into the kind of adventure she always wrote about. The Jewel of the Nile tries to recapture the same magic as Jack and Joan try to rekindle their relationship. However, a lukewarm plot and thin character work keep it from achieving its goal.
From a story perspective, The Jewel of the Nile feels like it’s grasping at straws. The plot revolves around Omar, a man with an ill-defined plan to take control of a nation from its rightful spiritual leader (Avner Eisenberg). Joan’s involvement in this plan is tangential at best, making it hard for the movie to drum up meaningful conflict. The characters tend to end up in passive roles, particularly returning villain Ralph (Danny DeVito).
There are other issues with the script. The adventure feels like a placeholder, a series of loosely connected incidents that lack the imagination or the immediacy of other movies in the genre. The humor never hits its stride, with none of the fruitful character dynamics that drove the previous film, just a series of mid-rate quips. The relationship drama between Jack and Joan is similarly half-baked and seems to exist only for its own sake.
The Jewel of the Nile does have some modest charm, but its story and delivery are a clear step down from Romancing the Stone. Those who want a taste of the adventure genre and aren’t feeling too picky may want to give it a shot. Those looking for a tightly plotted story, a creative premise, or memorable characters will want to stick with the first movie.
For a more engaging adventure with a dash of romance, try Sahara or National Treasure. For an adventure with more action and sharper comedy, try Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for passable adventure without much character to it.