Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Joan Wilder is thrust back into a world of murder, chases, foreign intrigue... and love. This time out she's duped by a duplicitous Arab dignitary who brings her to the Middle East, ostensibly to write a book about his life. Of course, he's up to no good, and Joan is just another pawn in his wicked game. But Jack Colton and his sidekick Ralph show up to help our intrepid heroine save the day.
The Jewel of the Nile is a fairly by-the-numbers sequel to Romancing the Stone, recycling the same adventure-romance formula with diminishing returns. The plot is formulaic and predictable, leaning on tired Middle Eastern villain tropes and a MacGuffin treasure hunt that lacks the charm of its predecessor. Douglas and Turner retain their chemistry and carry the film adequately, while the cinematography delivers competent location photography in North Africa without much visual flair. As a sequel it offers little novelty, essentially repackaging the original's elements in a less inspired setting. The ending wraps up neatly but without much satisfaction or wit.