Mr Bones 3: Laughter all the way

Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones is coming and there’s nowhere to hide. Released over the Easter weekend, the “much-anticipated blockbuster” sees the return of Leon Schuster as the inimitable medicine man, Mr Bones. He’s not alone, re-teaming with longtime film-making collaborator Gray Hofmeyer and the one and only, Alfred “Shorty” Ntombela.

Leon Schuster was at the height of his career at the time of Mr Bones. Defying slings and arrows, stick and stones . . . he’s back with Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones, which is apparently his last film − probably dependent on box office takings. This time around, he’s assembled a good cast, re-teamed with the hysterical Alfred Ntombela and while it’s complicated . . . he still has a special place in the hearts of many South Africans. Making it a trilogy, “Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones” is the sequel we never knew we needed or even wanted.

The third installment comes 14 years after Mr Bones 2 and features a solid local cast including: Tumi Morake, Sans Moonsamy, Daniel Janks, Sthandile Nkosi, Jay Anstey and Jerry Mofokeng.

The “son of” sequel and reboot naming convention has always signalled a misfire. The Son of the Pink Panther with Roberto Benigni tanked, Son of the Mask was horrendous, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr is just a “son of” in disguise.

In fact . . . the only real success story for a sequel with this naming convention is The Godfather II, which is also known as Son of Godfather but had the presence of mind to skip the ill-fated title. In its defence, it’s not a reboot and actually features the original Mr Bones.

Based on the camp and slapstick franchise’s runaway box office success, there’s definitely an audience for Schuster’s brand of comedy.

Coming at a time where escapist entertainment is more appealing than ever, the much-needed dose of laughter and silliness could hit a sweet spot. Having broken records with “Mr Bones” and “Mr Bones 2: Back from the Past”, there will be a great deal of pressure on Part 3 to perform with cinemas still recovering from two years of pandemic disruption.

Coming at Easter, it seems that “Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones” is expected to perform miracles. It it works, it’ll help redeem Schuster’s flagging celebrity, draw people back to cinemas at this crucial time and give people from all walks of life some longawaited comic relief. It’s not what we want South African cinema to be known for but these kind of cinematic events are welcome in their ability to generate renewed interest and help sustain the industry.