Anthony's Film Review - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

Humor goes over the top and definitely loses some steam, but it's still somewhat funny...

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is one of many examples of a sequel that just doesn't quite live up to the expectations set by the original. I admit that I had that expectation. I wanted to see Jim Carrey as funny as he was in Pet Detective. When the first film is good, you just can't help but want more. There's nothing wrong with that.

But if you're going to write a script for a sequel, you have a daunting task. On one hand, you maintain what worked before, but at the same time, you still have to be original and fresh. Bad sequels forget the latter, even though some may also forget the former, too. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is a sequel that is not entirely successful with either.

The idea for the plot in this one isn't that bad, though. While the first film puts Ace on a search for a missing team mascot, this one takes him to Africa to locate a sacred bat missing from a tribe. Because of this missing animal, two tribes are threatening to declare war on each other. With this kind of plot, there are plenty of new situations for Ace: being a fish out of water in another culture, facing animals in the wilderness, and even desert heat in a funny scene involving Ace spying from within a mechanical rhino.

The humor in this film is there. However, I would say that it has about 60% of the laughs from the first one. It's not terribly bad, though, but you'd still want more. Jim Carrey's performance is somewhat over the top this time around. Instead of being goofy but a good detective, he's just being goofy. He begins to walk the line between funny and obnoxious.

With all of this, I thought Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls was just an OK movie with some laughs. It's neither the best nor the worst film ever made. It's just right in the middle. It's the kind of movie to watch when you have absolutely nothing else to see but you still want to avoid the absolute worst.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.