If you had told me that I would be reviewing the next instalment of Mr Bones in 2022, I wouldn’t have believed you… but here we are. Set to release in cinemas nationwide this coming Easter weekend (Thursday 14 April 2022), Mr. Bones 2: Son of Bones continues the story of where the last instalment, Mr. Bones 2: Back from the past, left off.
It features a host of new characters to look forward to, in addition to the usual suspects and their crazy antics. They comprise of Leon Schuster, Alfred “Shorty” Ntombela, Tumi Morake, Sans Moonsamy, Daniel Janks, Sthandile Nkosi, Jay Anstey and Jerry Mofokeng.
Its aforementioned predecessor aired way back in 2008 with many under the impression that the story had officially wrapped… fast forward an entire 14 years later and boy were we clearly wrong. In 2022, I find myself asking, as outlined earlier, did we really need another one?
The storyline is centred around the beginning turn of the last century, where we witness (via flashback) the burying of the Kruger millions by two Boer soldiers, who then kill each other through idiotic greed, leaving the Kruger millions hidden in a graveyard in Kuvukiland. Now, in the present, a scrawny businessman named Alvin (Moonsammy) and his Texan engineer partner named Jack (Janks), together with their beautiful guide, Gabrielle (Anstey) are plotting to mine for oil in the pristine land which would leave it an oily mess. Bones and Mathambo must devise a way to outsmart the opinionated Westerners. Of course, as their plan unfolds, so do many other unexpected twists and turns, with hilarious effect.
I won’t lie, going into it, I wasn’t especially excited nor did I bother watching the entire trailer. I wasn’t expecting much and in hindsight that’s usually not a great start with anything. And whatever the reaction to it is and whatever your opinions on the man himself are, there’s no doubt that Leon Schuster is a local movie legend who has brought much needed laughs over the years to many of us.
It’s also great and encouraging to see the support of local productions with Mr. Bones 2: Son of Bones produced in collaboration with Thabede Menzi Films and M-Net Movies, with assistance from Film Chrome, the National Empowerment Fund and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. The film is also locally distributed for Mzansi cinema by Filmfinity Pty (Ltd.) and all other media, Africa wide, through DStv.
Schuster’s bond with long time collaborator and friend Alfred “Shorty” Ntombela is also evident throughout the movie. By far it’s the main thing driving the entire movie with the supporting cast merely adding to the overall ridiculous and funny antics. One way to describe the movie is pointless fun with the storyline not being of major consequence, it’s probably one of the few movies that can get away with that.
Heading into the cinema I had my ‘reviewer’ hat on ready to analyse various sequences but after a few minutes into the movie, I realised that’s not the point and instead the entire thing around it is to just relax, laugh, and escape for an hour and a couple of minutes. It’s a movie many of us enjoyed at a young age (with the same ridiculous humour) but despite that, for many (now very much a grown up crowd) it might not land the same way which is understandable. I for one though, despite feeling that some things were unnecessary, did enjoy it for what it is.
So, did we really need another one? The simple answer is no, funding could have certainly gone into something else but the movie is here and so it goes. Having said that, if you are looking for potential things to do during these upcoming Easter holidays then Mr. Bones 3, Son of Bones is worth a shout. It will make for a good outing with the entire family, especially if you have kids.