What the story was and what was thought of the film

Allan Quatermain and Jesse Huston are back, and this time it'll be double the adventure! With Allan and Jesse preparing for their wedding, it seems that nothing can distract the happy couple from the quickly approaching day. But when an acquaintance of Quatermain's comes out of the jungle with barely his life while being chased by a strange unknown tribe, Quatermain is interested. When the same man is later found dead, seemingly at the hands of the same unknown tribe, Quatermain must get to the bottom of the caper. Allan is also interested in the fate of the visitor and the pursuing tribe, as it may have something to do with his brother who was lost years ago in search of treasure.
Employing the services of the fierce warrior Umslopogaas (James Earl Jones) and having to tolerate the snivelling and untrustworthy trader Swarma (Robert Donner), Allan Quatermain heads out in search of his brother, and with wife-to-be Jesse in tow, the search for the Lost City of Gold is underway. There are many pitfalls and hurdles on the way, but nothing can prepare them for the unbelievable world that awaits them, and if they survive, it could be the biggest treasure ever found!

"The Action is Back! The Adventure is Back! But most of all, The Fun is Back! If ever there was an adventure hero, his name would be Allan Quatermain. Now, in their biggest adventure, Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone star in the action film of the year. Grab your hat, Grab your coat and hang on tight, for the biggest, scariest and most fun adventure romp ever!"...That would have to be the spin. The reality? The Boredom is back. The Bad Script is Back. But most of all, The Crap is Back. Take off your shoes, sit back and prepare for what would have to be the lamest action sequel ever. If ever there was an adventure hero, his name would surely have to be Indiana Jones. Why Richard Chamberlain and Co. keep trying is anyone's guess. Never have I seen such an uninspiring film spawn an equally uninspiring sequel. In one of the lamest comebacks ever, Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone reprise their roles from the unintentionally hilarious 1985 'adventure' film King Solomon's Mines. Even with the legendary James Earl Jones on board, this film doesn't even come close to the uninspiring heights of the first film, with new lows in terms of bad script, bad acting, really terrible sets, 'special' effects that are so bad that they destroy the suspension of disbelief and a storyline that has to be seen to be disbelieved. As I've seen Chamberlain and Stone in the earlier film, and can almost accept their taking on the roles again (they were apparently under contract for a sequel under the terms of the first film), I cannot believe that James Earl Jones would stoop to the lows of this film. Even I can't believe that he had rent to pay and can only believe that he must have owed someone a huge favour. Jones is a much better actor that we see here, and the role of Umslopogaas (as written in the script here) isn't worthy of his participation.

Robert Donner is another actor that can be singled out, but only for his atrocious portrayal of the ludicrously named Swarma. Swarma is a conglomeration of every bad stereotype in regards to Hindi culture. I've seen Donner in much better roles, such as that of Exidor in the 70s series Mork & Mindy, where he demonstrated a quite good sense of comedic timing. Perhaps the role was so poorly written that nothing could be made of it, but watching him in this film made me cringe. Terrible. There is little to redeem this film from the depths of mediocrity, except the one saving grace of the previous film, King Solomon's Mines: the 'So bad, it's good' factor. The truth is, 'so bad, it's good' is never enough reason to make a sequel, as one is always enough. There seemed to be a contractual clause that made the original film's main stars return for this drivel. There couldn't be any other reason, could there? Everything that rang untrue in the first film rings twice as untrue here. The sets are even worse than the first film, with the canoe in the canals sequence so obviously a set that it wasn't even funny (okay, a little bit funny). Some of the rear projection and blue screen effects are even worse than that seen in the first film, which is saying something. Far from simply unsuspending your disbelief, it'll rip you right out of any disbelief you might have ever had. The dialogue is even worse than the first film, with Swarma's proclamations cringeworthy throughout. Whenever the group faces any peril, you almost wish that something would happen to them so the horror would end. Thankfully, it does end. This is terrible cinema (if you could call it that) and only the most hardened of cinema-goers should attempt to take this on. Not for the fainthearted, as it is truly bad.