Akeem and Semmi are back for a brand-new, hilarious adventure! In COMING 2 AMERICA, newly crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) traverse the globe from their great African nation of Zamunda to the borough of Queens, New York when Akeem learns he has a long-lost son in the United States. In addition to Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, the outrageously entertaining film features an incredible cast including James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louie Anderson, Shari Headley, Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, and Leslie Jones.
For thoughts on Coming 2 America, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment brings Coming 2 America to Blu-Ray with an excellent 1080p video presentation. The image is clean with the bright color palette popping off the screen. The film employs splashes of vivid colors within the clothing and production design, which makes for a very striking image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky, but digital noise does prove to be a minor issue at certain moments in the film. The flesh tones are natural with gentle nuances showcased well in close-ups and medium shots. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots. When this film showcases the Oscar-nominated makeup, the details present as impressively sharp in all lighting conditions. This is as solid of a presentation as any modern movie should provide on Blu-Ray. Paramount has treated this film very well with this disc.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is quite excellent without being domineering. Music plays an undeniable role in establishing the mood of the narrative, and this track does a great job of filling the room in a truly enveloping way. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever falling victim to competing voices or a forceful soundtrack. Everything is mixed perfectly with directionality accurately rendered across all channels. The sounds of both the city and Zamunda provide a good amount of activity in the rear channels, and music stirs up some intense activity in the low end. This track honors the spirit of the movie with an immersive journey that ranks as something worthy of praise.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Craig Brewer provides a great commentary track in which he tries to appeal to “film lovers” as he discusses what he wanted to accomplish by revisiting this story, elements that he fought to include in the film, trying to balance staying true to the original and breaking free for something new, the change in culture since the original feature, working with Eddie Murphy, and so much more that provides a great listen.
- From Queens To Zamunda: A 26-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the importance of the original film, the process of continuing the story, reassembling the original cast members, bringing Saturday Night Live stars to the project, putting women more in the forefront of the sequel, the makeup work, the vibrant costumes and more.
- Trailer Gallery: Trailers are provided for Beverly Hills Cop, Coming To America, Trading Places, Dreamgirls, Harlem Nights, 48 Hrs., Imagine That and Norbit.
Final Thoughts
Coming 2 America attempts to capture the comedic alchemy that made the original film such an enduring piece of film history, but some properties are just better left alone. Eddie Murphy and the ensemble land a handful of solid jokes, but there are many more misses than you want in a comedy. Compared to the previous efforts from director Craig Brewer, this film just feels by-the-numbers and uninspired. Paramount Picture Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports fantastic A/V presentation and a few brief special features. If you are nostalgic about the original film, you might enjoy this one but most will not find much here.
Coming 2 America is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.