Watched “Coming to America” for the umpteenth time a few hours ago and I feel like that in the 30 years between it and the sequel, we really coulda had like four movies instead of two. Follow me real quick:
Movie 1-Coming to America (1988): Prince Akeem meet-cute with Lisa for love
Movie 2-Coming 2 America (1990): Lisa gets used to being a princess in Zamunda (you know the rite of passage sequel that all married-in royals get after the HEA in the first movie).
Movie 3-Coming to America III (1994): (filmed right before the untimely passing of Madge Sinclair) Akeem and Lisa are expecting their first child and are thrilled. However, they are also worried because some hard-core traditionalists who hadn’t been totally silenced when it came to Lisa are now running their mouths about the new Prince or Princess being half American.
Movie 4-Coming to America IV (2014): set about 20 years into the future from movie 3, this movie would be the final film in the franchise where King Jaffe will stepping down and Akeem will be taking his place and, by extension, his oldest daughter (I’m sticking to the three daughters he and Lisa end up having by the canon second film; son doesn’t exist because he was never conceived) will be taking his place as the very next in line for the throne. When Akeem takes the throne at the end of the film, he still abolishes the “only male heirs can take the throne” rule. Therefore, my Movie 4 is Canon Sequel C2A; the difference is, we see the Crown Princess enter a battle of ideals with the elders of Zamunda’s royal council for most of the film in order to prove that being female does not make her a less capable ruler than her father or grandfather before her.
The tropes are troping for real, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!🤓
BUT SERIOUSLY! WE REALLY COULDA AND SHOULDA HAD BOUT FOUR MOVIES BY THE TIME THEY GAVE US THAT LACKLUSTER SEQUEL THAT WAS REALLY KINDA UNNECESSARY CONSIDERING HOW LONG THEY WAITED TO RELEASE IT!!!! I can sit and watch the first one each and every time it comes on tv. The sequel? I haven’t given it a second watch since I halfway watched it a little after it came out! At least if you’re gonna wait like dumb long to make a sequel to something, at least make it worth it! The Incredibles 2? Worth it! Puss in Boots: The Last Wish? Worth it! Coming 2 America? Not so much. It could’ve been executed better.
P.S. Just peeped that the princess inherited Queen Aoleon’s regal air! She look SMACK like her grandma!🤭🥰❤️