User Reviews

"The Jewel of the Nile" is a follow-up to "Romancing the Stone". It lacks the greatness of the original but it keeps the same spirit. This one has lots of adventure and action (even more than the original, and is also far more violent).

Robert Zemeckis didn't return to direct this one, but 4 of the same actors reprise their roles: Michael Douglas (who also produced it), Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito and Holland Taylor. The rest of the cast is entirely different. There are plenty of new characters and new villains.

As the title says, this movie takes us not to Colombia again, but to the Egyptian deserts (in Africa, close to the Nile river). Exotic like the original's but a completely different scenario than the original's.

The main villain in this is Omar Khalifa (well portrayed by Spiros Focás). He is just as treacherous and dangerous as Zolo from the original film. Like Zolo, he fools Joan Wilder so that she falls in his entrapments. He pretends to be a good person, but he's a brutal dictator. But I do like Omar's Egyptian accent. He speaks with a charming accent. Funny that he plays an Egyptian when the actor is Greek, but then, Demis Roussos is a Greek who was born in Egypt.

Avner Eisenberg does a nice portrayal of The Jewel but the character has a mix of charm and silliness and isn't always lovable.

This film has some really funny and great sequences, but also has a large number of faults and does not possess the charm of the original. Therefore, it doesn't match the original's greatness.

Apparently Michael and Kathleen only made this movie because their contract forced them to. Kathleen even attempted to back it out but was threatened by 20th Century Fox to be sued with a $25 million lawsuit. Geez, that is just so wrong! They shouldn't have been forced to do something they didn't want. I sort of can see why they didn't want to do it and why Robert Zemeckis refused to make the sequel.

I used to like this movie almost as much as the original. But now it doesn't seem that great to me anymore. Looking at it now, many things about it don't make much sense. The original is a great blockbuster and a timeless classic.

As much i have enjoyed the chemistry of this cast in Romancing and War Of The Roses i felt that even that strong bond could not save Jewel Of The Nile from being a dud of a film.The first film had a much stronger Indiana Jones type feel to it,Douglas and Turner hit it off superbly and although that continues to some extent here,its mainly a tired retread that isn't quite as much fun,partly due to the barren desert setting as opposed to the lively mud slides and tropical setting of the first film.The finale of the film is also not a satisfying as the first film and one is left to ponder what was the point of it all.Its a below average action adventure film that relies too heavily on the chemistry of its actors to salvage some credit.

In the sequel to 'Romancing the Stone', romance writer Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) and Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) are sailing their yacht in the south of France. Joan is frustrated with her writing and sick of their nomadic life after six months on the boat. Joan accepts Sheik Omar Kalifa's offer to go down the Nile and write his biography. Joan and Jack agree to go their separate ways. Ralph (Danny DeVito) seeks revenge against Jack for getting left in prison. They are met by Tarak who has just tried to assassinate Omar. He tells them that Omar is a ruthless dictator who has stolen the Jewel of the Nile. Omar blows up Jack's boat and Tarak warns him that Joan is in danger.

I love 'Romancing the Stone'. This sequel has lost the original's charm. It's stupider and less funny. The joy is mostly gone. Jack and Joan start off on a sour note and is mostly separated in the first half. There are flashes of the old chemistry for the couple. However, even that isn't enough to make this a good movie. It's a sad sequel to a great 80s movie.

There are two kinds of good movies: The movies that, because of one or more characteristics, win grammys, oscars, and much lauding by critics. Gladiator comes to mind. Great cinematography, plot, acting.

Then, there are movies, that, although they don't win critical acclaim, seem to find their way onto my TV much more than an oscar-winner. Princess Bride is a good one. Timothy Dalton's bid for a James Bond movie as well. And Jewel of the Nile.

Jewel of the Nile is not a stellar specimen of a film in any way. There are movies that are better filmed, better acted, better scripted, ones that don't have as many plot holes, whatever the comparison. It doesn't leave you in a state of deep pondering or leave you not wanting to go to bed for fear of your life. But it is a movie that I, and my family, put in when we want to watch something light, uninvolved, comical, and with actors we like to see. It's something to watch on a Sunday afternoon, over whatever sorry excuse for lunch I decide to have, and to go to sleep on the couch to. It's a good movie to put in and listen to while doing housework, homework, or another activity. It is full of great one-liners that find their way into conversation as well as a severe cheesiness factor in some parts(which isn't a bad thing).

Bottom line, I guess, is this: You will find movies that are of superior quality to this one. Ones that you will feel outweigh this one in every single way. All the same, I would highly recommend adding this movie to your cabinet (but purchase and view Romancing the Stone first) because every once in a while, you'll come back to the Nile.

Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) has achieved her romantic dreams with Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) in this film's predecessor, Romancing the Stone. Or, wait, has she? The in-love twosome have been sailing around the world on Jack's boat, having many adventures. But, there is no ring on Joan's finger yet and she, as a successful romance novelist, is a bit bored with the life at sea. In addition, she has writer's block. Likewise, Jack has been taking Joan for granted. Therefore, when the two stop at an Arab port and Joan is charmed by a Middle East ruler, Omar, who wants her to write his autobiography, the lady writer says yes. Jack is not pleased. Then, too, Colton encounters an old nemesis, Ralph (Danny DeVito) who is interested in Jack helping him find a new treasure called "Jewel of the Nile". Soon, this awkward duo is trying to rescue Joan, who has actually been kidnapped by the evil Omar. Things go from bad to worse as Omar's cohorts blow up Jack's boat, with, thankfully, no one aboard. In desert country and being chased by bad dudes, Jack and Ralph decide to use a plane as a getaway vehicle and jet off, on the ground, across the Sahara. What fun! Can they rescue Joan and grab a treasure, too? This film doesn't have the charm of the first film, Romancing the Stone, as few sequels do. Nevertheless, it is cute, clever and funny, at times. The three stars, Turner, Douglas, and DeVito are a dynamite threesome while the unknown secondary cast is just fine. Yes, the scenery is lovely and does Turner and Douglas look young and attractive in their well-chosen costumes. With few offerings from Hollywood these days, in the romantic comedy genre, one has to "go back to the future" to find treasures, indeed.

I have given this movie a 7/10 because, taken on its own merits, it is just a delightful movie to watch. It's funny, although the slapstick sometimes is a little over done; but good wins out over evil, and leaves you satisfied at its conclusion. It reminds me of the "On the Road" movies made by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour during the forties, but with better, if not sometimes outlandish, special effects and chases (e.g., the F-16 chase) and just as many, if not more, one liners.

However, the movie is more than just comedy. It pits secular evil against a spiritual goodness (the Jewel), albeit a spiritual goodness which on the surface seem naive and comic...but which, in reality, achieves its goals through that apparent naivty. That is a serious overtone which many of the previous comments on the movie seem to have overlooked. The Jewel does not perform miracles, but his presence and comic actions create an aura of the miraculous.

Watch this movie as a precious relic of a time of freedom as you can see things that would be totally censored in today American movies! In a way, this movie is really close to early Tintin comics as it's pure fun in exotic places and for sure fun means native depicted as Clichés! So here Arabs and Africans are viewed as primitive, a bunch of tribes or peasants, Muslim rebels fighters are helpful and wise! It's hard to judge it against the Zemeckis movie because the setting is totally different: the first was jungle, green, water while now it's desert, sand, sun! I find that the trio has a real chemistry together, there is really some funny moments and if the movie drags a bit at the end, i had a pleasant watching!

This is a lesser follow-up to the blockbuster hit ROMANCING THE STONE that aims to repeat the same formula for maximum box office business. Unfortunately, it's a little off. While I enjoyed the first film, I didn't think it was any masterpiece and this film follows the law of diminishing returns in that everything we see is less, not more.

There's a greater focus on silly comedy here, as in the nonsensical dream sequence that re-introduces Douglas's character, and the characters seem more shrill and annoying than we saw previously. The story this time around takes place in the Mediterranean and North Africa, but the plot is even more lightweight and superfluous than before and there's precisely nothing to remember it by. It's pretty well paced, for sure, but in all other respects it's a forgettable film: a cheesy '80s grab for cash and nothing else.

A previous reviewer has taken this film to pieces, and while many of his criticisms are well-made, I can't go along with the overall rating.

If you're looking for plausibility, then this is certainly one of the worst movies of all time, but it wasn't actually intended as a documentary, unless I miss my guess completely.

This is a silly action adventure, mostly set in North Africa. There are good guys and bad guys, and they have personalities rather than well-rounded characters. There's some slapstick humour. Danny de Vito is cutely irritating, Michael Douglas is brave and rugged. We even have a scene in a tribal village compete with tribal dancing.

In other words, it's an updated version of the Stewart Granger/Rod Taylor African adventure type movies.

What makes this film worth watching, though, are the chase-type scenes, the specific likes of which I'd not seen before. Suffice to say that they're unusual.

If you can accept a plot with more holes than a tuna net and just let it flow by, this is a fairly jolly way to spend a couple of hours.

So Romancing The Stone is one of my favorites. I watched this sequel when it first came out and was disappointed but gave it a little bit of a pass since I knew I was hoping for too much. I just now, years later, watched it again, with low expectation, which usually works for me to have an enjoyable watching. No such luck. They all thought they had us wrapped around their finger and we'd just lap up whatever slop they threw at us. They got their millions because they knew we would watch it and clearly showed their opinion of us.

The sequel to Romancing the Stone isn't quite the adventure the first one is, but it's still a pretty entertaining, lighthearted sequel. There's no amazing story or character development here, however it's all worth sitting through to get to the classic song at the end of the film.

This sequel is rather quite disappointing to me. In all honesty I loved the first film, Romancing the Stone, so I when I heard there was a sequel to this I was excited to see it. So I went ahead and rented Jewell and it turned out to be one of the worst sequels I've ever seen. I figured it would be at least an entertaining fun movie, especially since it had the stars back from the first film. One thing that really ticked me off was the cheezy score that accompanied the film. I don't know whose idea it was to make this movie but as soon as Robert Zemeckis and Alen Silvestri said no this production should not have gone underway. Michael and Kathleen weren't bad but even they couldn't save this one.

In some ways I did enjoy "The Jewel of the Nile". It has our favorite characters from "Romancing the Stone", funny and romantic dialouge, and some decent action. But did we need it? No, not really. "Romancing the Stone" was a great action and romance movie; with a perfect ending that needed no explanation.

This movie starts off with Jack and Joan sailing in the Medateranian. They are fighting already about who gets more time to do what they want already. They go to a party that is being thrown for Joan by a devote fan who happens to be a leader of a middle east country. He wants her to write his biography. She agrees but she and Jack have to spend 6 weeks apart from each other ending in a separation or break up, who knows? And of course it ends up being a crazy adventure looking for the "Jewel of the Nile" that ends up being a disappointment somewhat?

Over all, it's a decent flick. It's the 80's, it's the time for not so great films. The effects are cheesy and the acting is so-so. But for the most part, it is a film worth giving a chance too.

6/10

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner return in a sequel to the highly succesful Romancing The Stone. In this one all is not well between the two and after a not so happily after ending Douglas and Turner go their separate ways..But trouble intervenes and Douglas must rescue her again..While Douglas and Turner do well together and DeVito returns the chemistry doesn't. A good sequel but like most sequels not as good as the first.. on a scale of one to ten..7

It was deep in the Cambodian jungle inside a crashed cargo plane drinking whiskey next to a cannabis bonfire that Jack shared his dream with Joan; Sailing off into the sunset with Angelina.

This unlikely couples first adventure led them to El corazon & Jack traded the giant emerald to make his dream come true, sweeping the women he loves along with him.

But this was not Joan Wilders dream, already a successful romance novelist she yearns to write something meaningful, Perhaps she might yet get her chance but will Jack T Colton be able to rescue her once again from what she wished for before it's to late?

The sequel to romancing the stone is rather disappointing.

The plot is shallow, humour is dry, and the whole atmosphere of the first is just not there.

I wish those responsible for its production could see that and realize that this was not meant to be as memorable as the first.

Nevertheless if you decide to watch this film, it is not what you call boring and overall it is just pleasant watching Douglas and Turner getting into trouble with their unexpected friend De Vito adding a bit of fun tone in the process.

4/10

A sequel to Romancing the Stone, one of Michael Douglas' more well- known films and a pretty decent romantic adventure film all-around. Jack (Douglas) and Joan (Kathleen Turner) have earned their happily ever after, but the cliché of it being pretty boring rears its familiar head and we're off to another adventure faster than you can say "80s synth soundtrack".

The film has some good things going for it. Both of the main stars are really good actors. Although the script isn't the best, they have enough charisma to sell the cheesy lines. Well, most of the time anyway. The eponymous Jewel of the Nile is also a fun MacGuffin and not really at all what you'll likely initially expect.

But... it's boring. It's so boring. It's every single bad cliché about North Africa and Arabic culture come to life, with stereotypical dictators, religious fanatics, turban-wearing locals and what have you. Half of the scenes are covered in tan dust and the other half definitely show the limitations of the budget. The script is very paint by numbers, not hitting any single solid note, except for the MacGuffin itself. But not even that is focused upon as much as I'd have preferred.

All in all it's an okay film to check out if you liked the first film and just have to see more. Other than that... Pass.

Directed by Lewis Teague. Starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, Avner Eisenberg, Spiros Focás, Hamid Fillali, Daniel Peacock, Paul David Magid, Holland Taylor. (PG)

"Romancing the Stone" sequel finds the relationship between Joan Wilder (Turner) and Jack Colton (Douglas) growing musty, but adventure and intrigue are on the horizon when North African ruler Focás recruits Joan to write her biography and they get caught up in a conflict with a rebel tribe, all of them fighting to get their hands on the much ballyhooed Jewel of the Nile. The spark of the original is dimmed this time out, with the plot working hard to manufacture ways to insert--and keep--Ralph (DeVito) into the story; a few good set pieces and the occasionally entertaining interplay between the stars hold interest, but it's not nearly as much fun watching them bicker as a frayed couple than it was when they were falling in love the first time. Eisenberg, as a holy man, has a deft, innocently amused style about him that can be delightful, but DeVito is forced to keep playing the same note over and over. Magid is a member of the juggling and comedy troupe The Flying Karamazov Brothers (also seen in an episode of "Seinfeld"); all of his brothers briefly appear alongside him as his onscreen brothers as well.

63/100

1984's 'Romancing the stone' is a splendid classic, a fun blend of adventure, romance, and comedy that continues to hold up well. Thanks to the tendencies in the 90s of television networks to play certain movies very frequently, I know I saw it several times over the years (albeit not any time recently). This 1985 sequel, on the other hand, I was not even aware of for a fairly long time, and even then it's taken me this long to get around to watching it. To even read about the production, the mess it represented and the disagreements between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, maybe it's not so surprising after all that 'The jewel of the Nile' has been a footnote that's spoken of very little. And once one sits to watch - well, it's not a great start. From the beginning the scene writing and plot development are deeply unconvincing, and the dialogue is tepid at best; the elements of romance, drama, comedy, and adventure all feel woefully forced and flimsy. That's to say nothing of passing racist or misogynist lines and story beats. There is no chemistry between any of the cast members, all of whom are straining to make us believe that THEY believe in their own feature, and the introduction of Danny DeVito's returning character raises a quizzical eyebrow. Of course one hopes that things will improve as the length draws on, and we continue to hope to no avail; the narrative picks up more by about the one-third mark, yet for as limp as this is in all the ways that matter most the growing intrigue counts for nothing. This isn't very good.

It's not all bad. There actually are some aspects to appreciate here, including gorgeous filming locations and sets, excellent stunts and effects, and some nice cinematography. While nothing special in the grand scheme of things, Jack Nitzsche's score can claim some flavorful themes. There are some workable ideas in the shooting script that was ultimately cobbled together, and in the story at large. Fine craftsmanship and "workable ideas" in a screenplay cannot truly begin to carry a full-length picture, however, and for as thin, shaky, and dubious as the most integral facets of the writing and viewing experience are, 'The jewel of the Nile' quickly becomes dull and uninteresting. It's the type of flick one can "watch" without actively engaging, for it neither requires nor inspires significant investment from us. Just as much to the point, it quite comes across that the title falls into the common trap of sequels and embraces outrageous bombast and oneupmanship for their own sake, and the credibility of the whole affair continually erodes as the digital timer advances. For all the high spirits and frivolity of 'Romancing the stone,' the venture felt very earnest and heartfelt in its swirl of elements; here, it takes more than an hour for that same sense to manifest in very select examples. Meanwhile, only three times in 107 minutes did this earn a soft laugh, or something close to it - first around the halfway mark as Joan and Jack argue in front of an audience, then twice heading into the climactic sequence. There are other moments that are amusing, sure, but I don't think mere "amusement" is the reaction that anyone here wanted.

It's not that this film is completely rotten. It's a pale imitation of its predecessor, though, and only in rare fits and starts can it capture the same mood, and evoke the same feelings, as what we got eighteen months before. Just as the heart and humor are sadly sparse, it's only within the last third that the highfalutin adventure promised in the premise is sincerely bearing fruit. The strength simply isn't there in too many instances and in too many ways, and Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner's script, and Lewis Teague's direction, shoulder the preponderance of the blame for these deficiencies. By all means, I'm glad for those who get more out of this lark than I do, and I'll even go so far as to say that while still all too troubled, the last thirty to forty minutes are sufficiently strong to make up for some of the gravest issues that dogged the preceding length. Ah, but would that anything near the same level of care and thought had been applied with more consistency. As it stands the resulting picture is rather tedious and middling, with only irregular glimmers of the charm and ingenuity that made its antecedent such a joy. There are certainly far worse ways to spend your time, yet even if you're a diehard fan of the first movie, or someone involved, it's difficult to offer an especially meaningful recommendation for this. Watch if you like, but heavily temper your expectations; 'The jewel of the Nile' is a sorrily so-so sequel, and I have to wonder if one isn't better off just watching 'Romancing the stone' again instead.