The Jewel of the Nile

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Reunited and it feels so bad.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that kids will hear much swearing and see fistfighting and gun battles, although there's no blood. There's also a good deal of stereotyping, as the story relies on swarthy foreigners as bad guys (this time it's Arabs who come out looking bad.) The breasts of "primitive" black woman are shown, and there are plenty of juvenile sexual allusions, including a joke about being stuck in a prison with inmates who want to be "proctologists." The leads also have sex, although there's no nudity involved.

  • Like Romancing the Stone and the Indiana Jones movies, the story relies on swarthy foreigners as bad guys. This time it's Arabs who come out looking bad.
  • Fisticuffs and gun battles. No blood.
  • Joke about being stuck in a prison with inmates who want to be "proctologists." The breasts of "primitive" black woman are shown--like a National Geographic thrill for little boys. The leads have sex, but without showing nudity.

What's the story?

Feeling trapped in her relationship, Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) accepts an offer to write the biography of Omar, a future African emperor. She leaves Jack (Michael Douglas) and travels down the Nile to find that the emperor-to-be's subjects are rebelling because Omar's not such a nice guy. Jack and Ralph (Danny Devito) come to save Joan and to take back the "Jewel" Omar has stolen. The Jewel turns out to be a religious man the people support. Joan and Jack escape with the Jewel into the desert where they make up over a primitive tribal dance. Re-captured by Omar, the two are tortured and, thinking they are going to die, determine at last that they should get married. Ralph shows up and inadvertently frees them, and the Jewel is shown to be a true miracle man.


Is it any good?

 

Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas turn in listless performances in a rip-off story that lacks the sparkle and drive of the first movie. Despite the fact that THE JEWEL OF THE NILE begins with a wedding, romance is entirely absent from this sequel. And the bigger explosions and chase sequences don't make up for the missing war-of-the-sexes energy. In the few scenes when the story does try to create something like sexual tension, the two leads come off as mean and spiteful.

Turner's Joan Wilder, naive but intelligent in the first movie, comes across as dull-witted here. Equally damaging to the movie is the lack of comic timing. In the first movie it's exquisite; here the jokes seem labored. And Danny Devito's character, a very funny bit player the first time, is tasteless and annoying in a more featured role. The movie is also a rip-off of the Indiana Jones series. The desert setting, the plane firing as it circles on the ground, the rats, the torture scene over the pit, the Nazi-like rally -- all these scenes were borrowed.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about sequels. Why do they get made? Why are they seldom as good as the first installments? Why do audiences often want to see them anyway?


This review was written by Randy White
Teen, 16 years old
December 14, 2011
 
awesome 1980's classic
good movie. this movie is joined up with the same people in egypt.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Randy White
Topics:adventures
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox
Cast:Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:106 minutes
Theatrical release date:December 11, 1985
DVD release date:August 26, 1997
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:Parentlal Guidance Suggested

This review was written by Randy White
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

vote now

Will you see The Jewel of the Nile?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it