What can I say?  When I see the first of a series, I feel compelled to review the rest.  With something like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), I did not think it as urgent to see the next, and hopefully last, of this particular character’s cinematic set, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995).  When discussing such a personage, the automatic Catholic response is to relate the eponymous gumshoe’s (Jim Carrey) affinity with animals to St. Francis of Assisi.  I succumbed to that laziness in talking about the first iteration.  The follow-up is just as ridiculous, but will at least offer some other spiritual directions for me to explore.  At any rate, let us conclude this nonsense.

We are reintroduced to the “pet detective” in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls by witnessing him attempt a mountain rescue of a raccoon.  The little creature has been stranded on the side of a cliff after a plane crash (which, huh?) and it is Ace’s . . . um, duty(?) to bring it to safety.  After traversing across a ravine, he has the rodent dangling from a harness while returning to the other side.  Unfortunately, the fasteners break and the animal falls to its death, slipping from his grasp.  In his depression, Ace leaves the world behind in order to stay with some Buddhist monks in a monastery in the Himalayas.  It is there that he is found by Fulton Greenwall (Ian McNeice), a safari guide working for the colonial government of a fictitious African country called Nibia.  Fulton has come to recruit Ace’s services in the recovery of a sacred animal to the local indigenous peoples.  Ace’s first response is no, saying that he would rather stay to pursue spiritual enlightenment.  He is convinced to go by the Grand Abbot (Arsenio “Sonny” Trinidad), who is all too eager to get the goofy Ace out of their lamasery.  To make Ace depart, the Grand Abbot tells Ace that he has achieved the level he has sought, even giving away the special medallion to sweeten the deal.  With that, Ace leaves with Fulton, but not before setting a slinky down the thousands of steps that lead to the lofty retreat.  Their first stop in Africa is to meet with Vincent Cadby (Simon Callow), the Chief General of Nibia.  Basically, he is the colonial governor.  It is he who has summoned Ace because if the sacred animal, which turns out to be a large white bat, is not returned by a certain time, there will be war between the Wachiti and Wachootoo.  Vincent maintains good relations with them and does not want to see any trouble.  Their first suspect is a known European poacher, who works with two ne’er-do-wells from Australia.  With this information, Ace sets out to meet the Wachiti, though he is nervous because, despite his love for all animals, he does not like bats.  Once there, he starts to get clues that point back to the colonial government, like a crow feather found where the sacred bat, known as Shikaka, is caged.  While at the consulate building, he had met Burton Quinn (Bob Gunton), a club owner with a pet crow, who is a friend of Vincent.  Yet, questioning Burton reveals that he could not have been the culprit.  On his way back to the Wachiti, Ace is ambushed with poison darts.  He suspects the Wachootoo, and thus attempts to infiltrate their village.  This goes horribly wrong and he is forced to fight one of their members in order to gain their trust and not be killed.  The tussle ends with him being wounded by two spears, one in each leg.  Nonetheless, they find his antics entertaining and let him go, but not without a couple more poison darts in his rearend.  In examining these small missiles more closely, he realizing that the original one with which he had been hit had been made to look like it belonged to the Wachootoo.  Thus, he is now on the trail of the poachers, but is caught by them before he can free Shikaka.  He is sent down the river on a raft and somehow survives going over a waterfall before going back to Wachiti settlement.  Once there, he feels the answer to what is going on is just beyond his grasp, so he tries meditation.  While in the trance, he communicates spiritually with the Grand Abbot, who gives him the insight he needs to come up with the solution.  The answer is, and this is as dumb as it gets, guano.  Bat feces does have some industrial applications, but there is only one person who stands to profit by cornering the Nibian market on the substance: Vincent.  Ace takes his accusations to the Chief General, who glibly admits to the scheme.  Vincent can be so calm because his head of security, Hitu (Adewalé), attempts to arrest Ace.  The pet detective is freed by a rampaging elephant, and from there Ace summons the rest of his animal friends to overwhelm the consulate.  Vincent flees with Shikaka, but Ace pursues in a monster truck.  Eventually, Ace recovers the bat and Vincent is violated by an ape.  Ace runs across the approaching battle between the Wachiti and Wachootoo, preventing the conflict, and returning the sacred animal to its proper place.  Everything would seem to be solved amicably until it comes out that the Wachiti princess (Sophie Okonedo) is not a virgin on her wedding day.  Ace is blamed for the transgression and must run for his life as the film ends.

That Ace is suspected of having had intercourse with the princess at the end of Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is disappointing.  Any of the other inanities should be expected by this over-the-top assault on the senses.  I say this part of the film is disappointing as a Catholic.  As with most films, there is nothing specifically Catholic about it.  However, there are his pseudo-religious vows, which make up a portion of Ace’s character in this installment.  The idea of spending time in retreat with monks after a traumatizing experience is not foreign to Catholicism.  People have been doing that for centuries.  Devoting time to prayer, talking with spiritual directors (the other monks in this case), these are things that help the healing process.  Further, it is a process that cannot be completed without God.  I guess that means Ace remains broken given that he has no connection with God.  At the same time, I held out hope for these so-called vows he claims to profess.  In a couple scenes, he refers to himself as a “child of light,” which is not a bad description of a Christian in general.  God has often been described like light, and since we are all His daughters and sons, it makes sense to think of ourselves in similar terms.  For Ace, a child of light also takes a vow of celibacy.  This is put to the test when the princess practically throws herself at him when they first meet.  I was ready to give him credit for resisting the temptation when, in the next scene, he is found by Fulton pleasuring himself.  Nothing explicit is shown, but that is the implication.  Then there is the last shot of the movie to consider.  Practicing celibacy is difficult, and many around the world look at religious groups like Catholic clergy as fighting a losing battle for trying to maintain sexual purity.  This notion is a function of our broken world that thinks only of instant gratification, a temptation that apparently Ace cannot resist.  Instead, celibacy and its challenge is a gift because, most of all, it is designed to bring us closer to God.

There is nothing about Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls that is designed to bring us closer to God.  Those vows that gave me a glimmer of hope are all broken by the end of the film.  As such, there is nothing to recommend this one.