Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Despite being retired since a cliff top incident with a racoon, Ace comes out of retirement to help find a missing sacred bat that is the symbol of peace between two African tribes. However he finds things are not all as it seems.

The sequel to the first film was never going to be a fantastically inventive affair but rather more of the same, albeit not as fresh or different. The plot is almost meaningless and certainly not important to enjoying the film. The comedy is everything and it almost manages to make for a good film. Opening with an inspired and hilarious Cliff Hanger spoof followed by a reference to William Shatner's episode of the Twilight Zone, the film fails to really keep it up and slips into relying wholeheartedly on Carrey's mugging.

Mostly this is funny but it is less sophisticated than the first film (if it's possible to describe the first film as that!). The jokes become more about the faces he pulls than about any invention in the dialogue or writing. As such you'll like this or hate it based on how you like Carrey when he is manic. I like him when I'm in the mood and laughed pretty regularly here.

Carrey of course carries the film with ease but also has famous support like he did in the first film. However they are not given as much to do and are of less value – Callow, Gunton and McNeice are not that missed when off-screen. Of curiosity value are several British actors playing Nigerians – Akinnuoye-Agbaje is better known as the amazing actor from Oz on HBO and is given nothing to do here, meanwhile Okonedo is pretty and humorous for those of us who know her better for her gritty role in Clocking Off on BBC1.

Overall anyone watching this should just be aware of what they are getting – it's a silly comedy that is totally reliant on Carrey's mugging to carry it. If you're not in the mood for that then avoid – but even if you are then you should be aware that it still might not be that good a film.