The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989) or, The Nutty Sequel

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The globally recognizable star N!xau sells with his smile on this simple poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy II

Bushman Xi's two children get caught in a truck carrying elephants' tusks; meanwhile two white people fool around in the African savanna with a glider plane, and some soldiers fight.

The Gods Must Be Crazy II is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld (1951)), who follows up his enormous hit The Gods Must Be Crazy with it, clearly trying to emulate the magic that the original film created.
The animals, - when they are not puppets, - and the awfully cute children are the most vibrant elements in this sequel, which is generally a morass. The stunt effects are mostly defined by ambitious aims that are not redeemed. The narrative is fumbled and seems pointless; the white couple is especially trying to watch, as neither have the real charisma or chemistry that was apparent between the similar couple in the first film, and both are (again) dubbed, which only heightens the artificial feeling of their questionable ordeals.
We are missing the one really hilarious character in The Gods Must Be Crazy II: N!xau from the poster above is hardly in the film, and the adventure is hardly original either. It is a glaring example of a commercially mandated sequel that lacks almost everything that made the original stand out.

Related post:

Jamie Uys: The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - Uys' border-defying Kalahari desert blockbuster

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Reportedly 9.5 mil. $
= Uncertain - but likely at least a big flop
[The Gods Must Be Crazy II was released 26 July (France) and runs 98 minutes. It was shot in South Africa in 1985 and shelved for 4 years before getting its release, a testament to the filmmakers' knowledge that the original film was far superior. It opened #14 to a 1.1 mil. $ first weekend in 321 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #6 and grossed 6.2 mil. $ (65.3 % of the total gross). If made on a small budget of 5 mil. $, - equal to its predecessor's, - the film would rank as a big flop. But if made on the usually elevated budget of a sequel, say 10 mil. $, it would rank as a huge flop. Uys produced another film in 1992 (Adventures in Africa) but otherwise retired from filmmaking after The Gods Must Be Crazy II. N!xau (The Gods Must Be Crazy) returned in Crazy Safari (1991) and two more unofficial sequels to the Gods Must Be Crazy movies. The Gods Must Be Crazy II is rotten at 54 % with a 4.94/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy II?

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - Uys' border-defying Kalahari desert blockbuster

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Humans are small and ant-like on the structures of the distorted title on this colorful poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy

We follow Kalahari desert bush man Xi, who thinks he receives a mysterious (Coke) bottle from the gods one day, as it gets dropped from an airplane; and the white biologist Steyn, who studies animals and their manure; as well as ruthless Communist militia leader Sam Boga.

The Gods Must Be Crazy is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld (1951)).
At first the film's dichotomy of a deeply romanticized image of indigenous cultures and across from them, modern civilization as the apparent root of all evil left me skeptical. - But later it becomes clear that this dichotomic paintbrush is only used in service of a naive, adventurous - and hilarious - comedy, and the simplicity is instantly forgiven. Furthermore, the filmmakers' achievement of getting all the film's elements together in the African savanna in a successful way is an enormous feat in itself. The film doesn't offer an objective look at indigenous and modern cultures in and around the Kalahari, but then expecting this would be to judge it as a documentary.
The Gods Must Be Crazy features incredible scenes (often with animals), and a smart and dynamic editing strategy with lots of unconventional uses of fast-forward and even film going backwards - all for a laugh, and often working.
The film is a unique experience that's very funny and ultimately life-affirming, and which brings joy to young and old alike - the world over.

Watch a funny 2-minute clip from the film here

Cost: Reportedly 5 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly 200 mil. $
= Some uncertainty but looks like a blockbuster (returned upwards of 40 times its cost - some uncertainty)
[The Gods Must Be Crazy premiered 10 September (South Africa) and runs 109 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa, including Johannesburg. N!xau, who plays Xi, was reportedly paid 2k $ for his performance. The film opened #22 to a 231k $ first weekend in 39 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #1 and grossed 30 mil. $. The film is said to have broken records in South Africa, Japan and foreign film records in the US. The 200 mil. $ gross is alleged in a South-African article only and could be entirely false. The film was nominated for a César award. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. Uys made The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989), again with N!xau, and more unofficial sequels followed. One Brisbane, Australia cinema showed the film continuously until closing in 1999, totaling reportedly 1,467 screenings. Uys reportedly supported N!xau with a further 20k $ and a monthly stipend before his own death in 1996. Uys returned with Funny People 2 (1983). N!ixau (Crazy Safari (1991)) returned in The Gods Must Be Crazy II. The Gods Must Be Crazy is fresh at 85 % with a 7.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy?