The Gods Must Be Funny in China (1994) User Reviews

Crazy film.

[OllieSuave-007 · 3/10 · 11 September 2017]

By the time Hong Kong films its third film featuring African bushman N!xau, his character has really gotten pretty commercialized and ridiculed into goofiness and idiocy. In this film, the bushman supposedly travels to Beijing where he's recruited to join a track team on a survival race through the Chinese wilderness.

Plenty of unfunny nonsensical comic stuff and goofy acting, with a plot that really goes all over the place. OK to give it a pass.

Grade D--

Wacky Hong Kong comedy

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 5 January 2023]

The last movie in the career of THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY star N! Xau is perhaps the least of his work, but not without merit for fans of wacky Hong Kong comedies. This one's a cheap but enthusiastic ensemble piece partially shot on the Great Wall. It involves Kent Cheng and N! Xau becoming enlisted into a team racing as part of a competition, and they have to fend off rivals including a random panda-hunting businessman, Arabs and some Shaolin monks. Cynthia Khan pops up as a jungle dweller and Cheng Pei Pei plays the trainer. There's a random interlude in the middle with a whole bunch of obviously circus-trained animals which can be hard to stomach, although the pandas are admittedly cute.

It's Not That Bad!

[john_matlock · 5 September 2004]

I'm not saying that it's that good either.

It's certainly the weekest of the Gods Must Be Crazy series. And a martini or two taken internally beforehand will help.

N!xau, you see, is stranded in China after somehow getting there while attending the All-China conference in Swaziland (maybe he discovered the martini). He needs money to get back to the Kalahari and is working in advertising by running around the city carrying this giant Coke bottle.

Amy Fong, the trainer of a team in the upcoming foot race sees how fast he is and eventually gets him on her team. The race eventually gets started. It's along the Great Wall of China and eventually winds up in Panda country.

The bad guy is trying to capture a panda. N!xau, the race team and the pretty young Chinese girl have to fight off the bad guys, rescue the panda and of course win the race.

Nope, the Gods aren't funny - they have finally really gone crazy!

[jalilidalili · 2/10 · 11 September 2008]

OK, there are a few cute scenes with Pandas, but apart from that... Shooting the people who made this isn't good enough! But you know, I actually thought this was part 3, because they released it on VHS under that title (since 3 and 4 were never released here). Maybe if I saw the two movies in the middle it might have helped, but as I'm just watching the real part 3 (and I saw the N'Xau imitating Bruce Lee) I somehow doubt.

They should have stopped after part 2 - no more craziness. Make it good or don't make it at all!

I mean come on!

This was about a culture shock of "civilized" people not being able to survive in the desert, not about Panda preservation and running all over the Chineese Wall!

HORRIBLE! And I Mean Horrible!

[noyou · 1/10 · 1 June 2005]

Maybe a small child will find it funny, prompted by the music and cartoon sounds, but the things meant to be funny are just plain stupidity.

I've read bad reviews before, where the reviewer totally bashes the movie they are reviewing. I am not one to do that. I like many things others dislike. But this is just HORRIBLE! I paid $20 to purchase it, along with parts 3 and 4 ($20 for each)) on a VCD, because I had been looking for them everywhere, then saw someone selling the VCD's on Amazon.com. That was the biggest waste of money I ever spent I think. Part 3 was decent, as was part 4, even though it had absolutely NOTHING to do with The Gods Must Be Crazy, except that it was crazy for them to associate it to the series.

Terrible!

[Capped · 1/10 · 2 December 1998]

Terrible! - if one word could describe this movie, this is it. The acting is atrocious and the storyline is non-existent. The supposed 'funny bits' will only make you cringe and you are forever waiting for the end to come. If you haven't watched it yet - save yourself the time.

Gods must be crazy 5

[gorytus-20672 · 9/10 · 22 April 2021]

April 2021

Gods must be funny in china (Gods Must be crazy 5) is the last of the HK films with Nixau, and its the 2nd best of the 3.

It goes for out and out laughs, Nixau gets involved in some kind of team race, and i know there is a panda in it too.

Cynthia Khan and Kent Cheng also star.

Well worth checking out for fans of HK comedy or fans of the Gods must be crazy.

9 out of 10.

Don't. Just don't.

[Valeyard-1 · 4 March 2002]

No matter how funny you may think it would be to rent out this "sequel" to the Gods Must be Crazy, believe me when you pop it in the VCR and start watching it the word "excruciating" will take on a whole new meaning.