Official Synopsis:
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. returns as series host to guide notable African Americans on a search for their ancestry. Genealogical investigations and DNA analysis help Maya Angelou, Bliss Broyard, Don Cheadle, Morgan Freeman, Peter Gomes, Kathleen Henderson, Linda Johnson Rice, Tom Joyner, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Chris Rock and Tina Turner discover where they come from and who they are.
  
Our Take:
Have you ever wondered who Morgan Freeman’s ancestors were? How about what part of Africa Chris Rock’s family originally came from? Well African American Lives 2 attempts to answer those questions. Building on the success on the first mini-series of the same name, this PBS special attempts to trace the origins of several of America’s most famous African Americans.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a professor from Harvard, writes, hosts and narrates parts of this series that use DNA to bring to light the history and ancestry of a whole group of people, many of whom thought that their family history was unattainable. It’s another testament to modern technology in that it can essentially recreate records that were either lost or never kept in the first place.

The DVD is lacking of any extra features which is a little disappointing but not really all that surprising. Despite that though, it is still an interesting watch and judging by the buzz the first series created, it should pique quite a few people’s interests. It’s also a must-see if you have an interest in African American history.

Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
DVD: C+

- Cris Savino
Staff Writer