Recently I looked at History of the World, Part I, and I had a fun time with it, I did mention that History of the World, Part II was a fun follow up, but I decided to talk about the show a bit more in depth. While Mel Brooks was part of this, this is more of a Nick Kroll production which I am more than fine with as I loved him in The League and I find Big Mouth hilarious. I have to be honest and say that there really is not much in it between this and Part I in regard to which one I like the best.
How to Download History of the World, Part II
History of the World, Part II was released on March 6, 2023. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
The Cast and Characters
Mel Brooks is the narrator and he also has a role as Orson Welles. However, our main cast is made up of Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, and Wanda Sykes who each play several roles over the eight episodes. Oh yeah, I probably should have already mentioned that History of the World, Part II is not a movie, it is a series that was made for Hulu or Disney Plus, depending on where you live in the world.
A Star-Studded Comedy Lineup
There is no way that I can talk about the entire support cast that this show has as it is insane! I got a huge kick out of Johnny Knoxville and several of the Jackass cast being part of the show. Off the top of my head, Jack Black, Dany DeVito, Josh Gad, Rob Corddry, Zazie Beetz and freaking former NBA star Blake Griffin are the ones that come to mind. However, this show is just staked with famous faces and I did it look beforehand so it was a nice surprise when someone I recognized showed up.
The Funniest Skits and Moments
Like the movie, History of the World, Part II is made up of several skits featuring wacky takes on different stuff that “happened” in history.
Jesus and The Beatles
A few that I loved include the whole thing with Jesus being in a band that is like The Beatles. If you are familiar with the Beatles and the whole “bigger than Jesus” thing, you will get such a kick out of this. You know, this was probably my favorite thread throughout the show.
Alexander Graham Bell’s First Prank Call
Another one that comes really close to Jesus’s band is the part with Graham Alexander Bell who ends up on the receiving end of the first ever prank call, which had me cracking up so much that my wife got mad at me! Even as I write this I have a huge smile on my face thinking about this part of the show. Ike Barinholtz as the man who gave us the telephone is just so awesome.
Does It Live Up to the Original?
Like the movie, some of the skits do not land as much as others, but that is to be expected with something like this to be fair. This may sound crazy and have people reaching through their screens to punch me, but I do think I slightly prefer History of the World, Part II over the movie that came before it. I really would love it if they get to make a third season of this as this is one of those shows where I can fire up a random episode and always find a few laughs.
