More than 40 years after Moses cast down the three stone tablets of the Fifteen Commandments—”Oi! The Ten! The Ten Commandments everyone must keep!”—in History of the World, Part I, Mel Brooks is back for the long-awaited follow-up to his seminal 1981 film. History of the World, Part II, Airing March 6-9 on Hulu, A “Wake Up” Comes to America. But for Brooks, Anything and anyone is still fair game. like. After more than six years of political and social unrest, eroding civil rights and extreme divisiveness in America, many people seem to be walking on eggshells. see comedy Of Chris Rock: Selected Outrage or Sebastian Maniscalco is it me? for reference.
Entertainers, especially comics, have borne the brunt of these changing times. The clever jokes and satire—at which Brooks mastered—were more readily accepted and understood in context 40 years ago when the first History dropped. Today… maybe not so much. and you can feel that tension when you watch History of the World, Part II.
Creatively, “History” Doesn’t Always Repeat Itself History of the World, Part II, You didn’t feel consistently “high” the first time you experienced an outing. however, for diehard mel brooks fan—who understand the genius behind Burning Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Silent Movie, Even more spaceball-The new outing is downright fun, often refreshing, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Each episode consists of a variety of sketches that take viewers through different periods of human history. While it stumbles occasionally — some may love Galileo as the influencer of “TicciTocci” (ahem, TikTok), or not — it’s still a worthy ride. So, what’s so special this time?
bring on sketch
Brooks, now 96 and rightly so, a comedy legend, writes and executive produces History of the World, Part II, with Nick Kroll (HR, League), Wanda Sykes (the upshows, Velma, Black-ish), Ike Barinholtz (Suicide Squad, The Mindy Project), and David Stassen (The Mindy Project, Central Intelligence, The blending of the artistic styles of Kroll, Sykes and Stassen pepper the whole. of history eight episodes. Along with Kroll and Stassen, the inventive writing team and directors included Ellis Mathias and Lance Bangs. Brooks himself, aside from the voiceover and some comic cameos What is best experienced here rather than enjoyed is physically absent History version.
There are tons of meta jokes, sketches galore, and countless guest appearances. Seth Rogen dials it in as Noah—the Ark bit isn’t quite grounded. Jay Ellis is a worthy if not dreamer Jesus Christ, who brings Kroll as Judas in humorous sketches that span the course of eight episodes. On that front, Zazie Beetz is a groovy Mary Magdalene, especially when the writers spin the Jesus and the gang theme they’ve already established over the course of several episodes. It’s inventive, clever, and downright hilarious. Meanwhile, Barinholtz, generally charming and always fun to watch, plays a boozed-up Ulysses S.
Those looking to follow a linear timeline may need to temper their expectations. History of the World, Part II, Like its predecessor, jumps around time periods. It’s all good though. Keeping things fluid has been good for Brooks in the past. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Still, some sketches stand out more than others.
The Best Bets in World History, Part II
Not surprising, given that he is the producer, some of the best parts of History of the World, Part II Features Nick Kroll and Wanda Sykes—Kroll steps in for Brooks, performing many of Mel Brooks’ “heavy lifting” gags. But nearly every sketch Sykes features in is a delight, featuring him in well-grounded performances — he never plays things too broad, a good thing. This sketch is most noticeable in “Sitcom”. shirley, where Sykes morphs into Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972. Q: Throw in the canned laugh tracks and a deliberate wink at Chisholm’s bold decision to “educate” the audience nearly 50 years ago, and you get a nice balance of humor and respite from the other sketches. Elsewhere, Sykes also plays Harriet Tubman.
Other notable rotations here include Dove Cameron (Shmigadoon!, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Princess Anastasia. Imagine if the youngest daughter of Nicholas II took Russia by storm via social media, always signing off with “War and Peace.” It would have been nice to see more of Jake Johnson’s Marco Polo, but otherwise what we’re being offered for the fiery actor will suffice. Kroll, Pamela Adlon (Better Things), And riverdale Charles Melton’s shattered abs reappear in an ongoing sketch that’s best just to experience for yourself. what fun. They provide the classic laughs and Adlon is downright hilarious.
short, random, sketches are sprinkled throughout History of the World, Part II, Absolutely. Some would be glad—we’re talking about you, hitler on ice, Overall, the classic laughs are delivered perfectly, all of which will leave you wanting to come back for more. Part III, Any? Best for those looking forward to a real history lesson go towards kink on earth, Where Philomena Cunk delivers a brilliant mix of humor and real history.
Still, 42 years after the first History Gira, it’s good to experience the Mel Brooks we all love and know. In History of the World, Part II, Comedy Legends delivers a hilarious sketch/parody series for when we all need a good laugh.
Catch History of the World, Part II, On Hulu, starting March 6.