The Jewel of the Nile (Special Edition) Reviews

• A sequel that mostly makes the grade

  
  By A2ODBHT4URXVXQ on 2004-04-20
  Rarely does a sequel to a smash movie rise to the same level as its predecessor - but perhaps Jewel of the Nile is the exception (along with some of the Indiana Jones follow-ups).
  This sequel to Romancing the Stone, a rip-snorter adventure/romance with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, set the stage for this 2nd one. They've been together since the end of the 1st movie, living on his yacht. She is on assignment in the Middle East when she's abducted, and it's up to Douglas and of course Danny DeVito, to rescue her.
  Good stuff, but not quite 5-star.
  
  

• Somewhere In Africa.....

  
  By A2ZSC81MXLBELX on 2005-01-17
  This review refers to "Jewel of the Nile" DVD edition(20th Cent Fox)....
  
  If you loved "Romancing The Stone", and can hardly pass the TV without stopping to watch when it's on, then go ahead and follow the adventures of Jack, Joan and Ralph in Africa in "Jewel Of The Nile". It may not stand up to the repeated viewings like RTS, but it is a fun and action packed sequel, and it is the characters that we have come to love, that make us want to watch them in action in a new and different story.
  
  Joan(Kathleen Turner) and Jack(Michael Douglas) have been living together on his boat for six months already. Jack wants to take off and see the world, Joan has a bit of a writer's block and wants more from life. Opportunity knocks on her door when a powerful Sheik wants her to write his story. She's wisked off to Africa, leaving a brooding Jack behind, and immediatley finds herself in the midst of a mysterious, intriguing and very dangerous situtation involving an all powerful "Jewel". But have no fear, Jack is warned of the danger his beloved is in and is off to save her. Ralph( Danny DeVito),who has been lurking about and hears the word "Jewel" is not going to be left out this time, and tags along as well. An added bonus to this one are the fabulous Flying Karamazov Brothers juggling troupe, who jazz up this film a little with their entertaining skills.
  
  I probably would go a little higher then 3 stars if I was just rating the film, but I was a bit disappointed in the DVD transfer(especially compared to RTS). It didn't seem like much care went into it. The film is presented in widescreen, which is really nice, and takes in all the action and scenery nicely, and even the colors were nice and bright, but the print was below average for a film of this age(1985). It seemed grainey at times, and I often noticed scratches and even dirt. Good sound in Dolby Surround, but with all the action and adventure in this film, DD5.1 would have been great.
  The film may also be viewed in French and has subtitles in English and Spanish.
  
  Fans of the first film, will certainly enjoy spending more time with the gang, but may want to consider renting it first, if you haven't seen it yet.
  
  Get the Popcorn ready, and maybe some lemonade..it's a hot trek through the desert!...enjoy...Laurie
  
  
  
  
  

• Bad script = bad movie.

  
  By ATS2855497V0I on 1999-05-24
  This movie is actually used by the book "Good Script, Bad Script" to illustrate how not to plot a movie or write dialog, and I agree. The story just meanders about with a stream of gratuitous and clumsily done action scenes, and buffoonish auxillary characters. Finally, the actors look like they don't want to be in this movie; quite a waste of talent.

  As for the DVD, there is little in the way of supplements, and the transfer is a bit dirty.
  
  

• I'd Marry Joan

  
  By A3QAQUUPFIARWB on 2006-02-25
  It's hard to believe this DVD is (at least temorarily) unavailable retail. This is one of the few instances when the sequel is better than the original (Romancing the Stone). It's one of the few films with a really good first person portrayl of a writer (Kathleen Turner as Joan). Whatever you think of Michael Douglas, this appearance must rate near the top of his least stereotyped performances. Danny DeVito is great as a would-be heavy. This is almost a latter-day James Bond film except the heroine is an everyday Everywoman.
  
  "Family film" would not be an oxymoron if studios made films with as much heart and soul as this one. In some ways it's like a calmer, less hypertensive Raiders of the Lost Arc. You don't need to see the so-so Romancing the Stone to enjoy this film and (re)discover this neglected gem.
  
  

• Okay but loses it`s touch after repeated viewings

  
  By on 1999-11-05
  This sequel to ROMANCING THE STONE has its ups and downs.Like the first one,this is a film I saw TOO many times.Liked it a lot ten years ago,but I dont go crazy for it now.The plot:novelist Joan Wilder(Kathleen Turner)is invited by an Arab ruler by the name of Omar Kalifa(Spiros Focas)to go to his country and write his biography.That way,he will have more exposure to the western world.Bored and wanting some action in her life, she agrees.This causes tension between her and boyfriend Jack Colton(Michael Douglas),leading them to put their relationship on hold.Once she gets there,she discovers that Omar is up to no good,and that she is in great danger.Omar is disliked by his people because he took away "THE JEWEL OF THE NILE".Jack is aware of this and goes to Africa with Ralph(Danny DeVito) to rescue Joan.Here is a flaw I noticed. The big flaw is in reference to the names of the African locations.You break your head trying to figure out where they are.No specific known country name is mentionned. At one point,Joan looks at at map that appears to be Sudan,because the capital city of Khartoom is shown.Yet,the lack of information puts you in a state of confusion.At least,the locations mentionned in ROMANCING THE STONE are clear.Like the first one,this film is dated.It had a big popularity in the 80s and early 90s.It was aired many times on TV and somehow was forgotten by many moviegoers.Unfortunately,as time went by,you seem to notice that ROMANCING THE STONE had a superiour status than THE JEWEL OF THE NILE,because the action and adventure seems farfetched and too caried away.Certainly the first one was farfetched but it had a convincing effect.This time,you cant really go along with it. I must mention that this film is worth a look,and all the stars give us good performances.For me,this movie is a good example of the negative effects that occur due to repeated viewings.
  
  
• Velveeta at its finest!
  By AHGPRH9IO4I2L on 2005-04-02
  I blinked and missed the eighties, too busy working and raising kids. So I picked this up, along with "Romancing the Stone," in the nineties, and caught up!

  A cheezy, but classy, brace of time capsules.
  
  

• Skip this one. Just watch "Romancing the Stone" again.
  By AV9VF19CE1H1R on 2004-01-21
  Not too bad for a sequel, but this film has absolutely none of the "magic" of the original. Everything seems forced, contrived, and artificial by comparison. As others have noted, the story ended precisely where it should have at the close of "Romancing the Stone." Too bad they did not leave well enough alone.
  
  
• A Great Movie!
  By on 1999-06-06
  This move is great! It's not as good as the first movie, "Romancing the Stone", but this one comes in close! Danny Devito plays the role of Ralph wonderfully! I even got my brother hooked on the movie!
  
  
• Entertaining, but uneven
  By A3URMIVRQLZVMO on 2000-08-15
  Sequel to the somewhat-thrilling "Romancing the Stone", this movie was more entertainment than adventure tale. It starts off well enough, with another of Joan Wilder's romantic tales, and segues to real-life where Joan and Jack are taking the cruise they promised each other at the end of "Romancing the Stone". From there the tale is fairly predicatable, and there are some action shots that will make you groan (the scene with the jet fighter is a particular groaner), but there are enough highlights to make the effort worthwhile. Danny DeVitto is terrific in this film and provides some much-needed comic relief in just the right spots.
  
  
• Nowhere near as strong as the original
  By A1NSMQIF1C2VCE on 2000-12-24
  The success of "Romancing the Stone" wasn't in the non-stop bickering between the principals. Rather, that was a component in a film -- one of my favorites -- that had a lot of other things going for it, like atmosphere, an intersting B-story featuring rival groups of antagonists, an interesting setting and, most importantly, the tension between Joan Wilder's romantic fictions and her romantic reality.

  With "Jewel of the Nile," everything is gone except for the bickering. The most enjoyable villain is reformed (mostly), the setting is generic (and fairly insulting) Middle East, and the adventure features little of the fun that informed the first movie.

  Apparently, there's a script for a third movie floating around in Hollywood that's allegedly far superior to "Jewel of the Nile," and there are people who are reportedly disappointed they couldn't ever make it, due to the lack of success this film had. I'm sorry, but "Jewel of the Nile" got what it deserved: It's a middle of the road remake to a film that really lucked into its breakout status to begin with. This is by-the-book filmmaking, and comes off that way.

  Whereas I am pleased to own "Romancing the Stone," "Jewel of the Nile" is definitely just a rental, at best.
  
  

• Great Movie, BAD Quality
  By A3MLX1QKXNJ333 on 2003-04-22
  Just about everyone who orders this title has seen it before. So this is in regards to Video quality. If you must own the movie fine then by all means purchase it but be warned the DVD movie quality is atrocious. I must have about 100 movies now and of course you do expect some dropouts and scratches on older titles but this one really takes the cake in my opinion. This copy is littered with dropouts " small white specs" , scratches and well just a plain dirty rendition of a superb movie. I have no clue why a DVD production house would allow something this bad to go into mass production unless they just believe that Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner fans will buy anything with them in it. I was beginning to believe that when you purchased a DVD you were getting the absolute best that these companies could offer. NOT SO, It appears that the bottom line is still about making a profit. Sadly enough its the consumer that ends up flipping the bill. The intros and menus are top notch superb DVD quality. And it starts out ok but gets prgressively worse. Honestly guys this movie could have been mastered from a better copy instead... well for us Douglas Turner fans a complete and sad letdown.
  
  
• Incomplete without the soundtrack's music video
  By A2N8MUU8PIVVY4 on 2006-09-01
  I'm not gonna buy it because they didn't include
  Billy Ocean's When The Going Get Tough music video
  from the soundtrack.
  It makes no sense not to include it
  because Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner
  and Danny DeVito were in the video.
  
  Scott
  
  
  
• A waste
  By on 1999-06-01
  They had this terrific character, who was a romance novelist writing about the old West. So what did they do? Put her in a pointless, overbaked tale set in Egypt. What could have been a great trilogy was ruined in film two.
  
  
• Top Notch!
  By AXKP7BO23EGTP on 2000-12-10
  This movie is awesome, I don't give a dang what anybody says, it is one of the most well done romance movies I have seen yet. It is so funny I laughed all the way through it the first time... and have re-watched it over and over, and it never wears out as a love story. Haven't found any others with such good direction or fitting musical scores yet. I give it 5 of 5 stars... and always will!

  Joseph
  
  

• Fun movie !
  By A275WB4PYH6227 on 2001-07-18
  Romancing The stone probably is a better movie as it is more exciting but its sequel "The Jewel Of the Nile" is every bit as entertaining. 3 principle stars (Douglas, Turner, DeVito) are all wonderful. I would have given it 5 stars if not for the DVD short comings. No Dolby 5.1 and the picture quality is below averae. A remastered edition probably is unlikely so grab this one as Fox already dropped its retail price from ...
  
  
• A Good Continuation
  By A2I6MHMAZZDCRX on 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.
  
  
• Not Too Bad For A Sequel
  By A37B3O457INKEA on 2003-05-25
  THE JEWEL OF THE NILE is a sequel to ROMANCING THE STONE. The director and the screenwriters are new but Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito are back in their old familiar roles. The cast also includes Spiros Focas and Avner Eisenberg.

  This time the adventure takes place in North Africa where Turner is invited to accompany a wealthy Arab to his own country. She soon finds herself caught in another big mess in a very strange land. Naturally Douglas has to rescue her as he did before in ROMANCING THE STONE.

  Danny DeVito's best scene comes near the beginning of the film when he suddenly emerges from a barrel on a dock with a rapid-fire description of his experiences in a Columbian jail. On balance JEWEL OF THE NILE is an entertaining movie but it does not quite recapture the magic of ROMANCING THE STONE.
  
  

• A prime example of Why Sequels Are a Bad Idea
  By on 2003-09-11
  While I could pick at one or two points about "Romancing the Stone", there's no reason to; it was a positively delightful and enjoyable film in every respect. A real gem (no pun intended, of course).
  But "Jewel" had absolutely none of the charm of its predecessor. "Romancing..." ended exactly where it should have ended -- what a misguided thought it was to pick up the story after the "happily ever after" ending of the first film. Some stories just end where they're supposed to end; with Scarlett O'Hara losing Rhett; with Rick Blaine nobly giving up Ilsa for a greater good; with Atticus sitting up in Jem's bedroom while Jem sleeps. Sequels for any of these would be a travesty (sadly, it's happened anyway for a couple of them). While "Romancing..." is not on a par with these books and movies, it nevertheless ended in a very appropriate way, and it's a shame it wasn't left there.
  
  
• The surprises keep coming.
  By A2PV6GK1HV54Y9 on 2007-08-31
  Not as brilliant as Romancing the Stone but The Jewel of the Nile is still quite enjoyable sequel. Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny Devito are back in this action-packed thrill ride, Jack and Joan are sharing their life on a sail boat and some unexpected things start to occur on dry land. I don't want to give away too much but if you like romance and action then The Jewel of the Nile is right up your alley. Happy viewing!
  
  
• surprising
  By on 1999-07-05
  im still watching the movie ...but one thing i love about it is that they got their arabic right
  
  

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