Sacha Baron Cohen returns 25 years later as Ali G with Ali G: Who Iz I, which is just as bonkers as its predecessor, yet for all the right reasons that made Ali G: In Da House so beloved with its crude & wacky humour, I am happy to say it is back. The jokes do not hold back; they are out there & I can see some people being upset with some of the ones on display here.

Similar to Cohen’s alternate self, Borat, Ali G uses real people, with the Ali G character being his ridiculous self throughout; despite this formula being done in similar work with Cohen’s past films (Bruno), it has not gotten old yet and works perfectly here. Some of the “Real” actors honestly surprised me, as some of the scenarios they are put in had me questioning their morals, with the film reminding us throughout that they aren’t actually actors.

The Film follows Hip Hop Journalist Ali G (Cohen) as he returns 20 years later to make a documentary with real people, as cameras follow him for over a year as he takes classes, walks the streets, and appears on talk shows, all while balancing a relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Julie (Morgana Robinson).

The comedy presented throughout had the entire audience laughing out loud & as someone sceptical going into this, thinking the humour wouldn’t be as out there and wouldn’t take as many risks as the first film did back in 2002, I was pleasantly surprised to say that the jokes & humour were up to the standard that you’d expect from an Ali G Film, complete with a lot of gasps & belly-laughing moments from start to finish.

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The real-life elements from regular people not realising they’re in a film & that Ali G is a character really stood out to me; the situations that Cohen puts these people in are at points flat-out ridiculous. It had me questioning if they were actors or not, given how well each person fit into the scene, whether that be a good thing or not.

After seeing the reception to Cohen’s last sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, getting a mixed reception, from now on with an Ali G sequel after so many years will have fans of the character sceptical, especially with how controversial the character itself is and how much the world has changed in the last 25 years with some stuff that we wouldn’t see in a movie nowadays; yet after seeing Ali G: Who Iz I, those fears will go away as this sticks as close to how he acted in the first film as it possibly can & I believe fans will be very pleased here.

Cohen takes a new approach this time, not only acting & helping to write the script but also directing, making Ali G: Who Iz I his Directorial Debut. I believe this was a wise choice, as so much of what makes Ali G as a character so likeable is Sacha & having him on the writing team & directing truly cements how much of Ali G is Sacha’s own vision for this film.

Overall, Ali G: Who Iz I takes what everyone has grown to love with this character over the last 25 years & runs with it, still not shying away from the rude, crude & bonkers humour alongside the controversial phrases & sayings that we have come to expect from Ali G. I am happy to say that this film is faithful to the character & is an absolute laughing fest throughout, with the jokes and humour being so out there you aren’t expecting it to go to that level, but it does & keeps climbing even when you thought it couldn’t get much worse.