This is a film that made me laugh but it would be a lot funnier if it doubled the length, it should be epic in length like most legitimate historical films and I’m surprised director, writer and star Mel Brooks (“Spaceballs”, “Silent Movie”) didn’t realise this.

In this film, we get a look at several key historical events such as primitive man developing arts (and therefore the immediate follow-up of the ‘critic’), a tale of how a Roman comedian ends up being a pushy waiter during the ‘Last Supper’, a story of revolution in France, a rather amusing look at the Spanish Inquisition and stay for the end for some coming attractions. The sad thing is that lots of these are very short but the lengthy one involving the Romans and Christ proves the film needs to be longer and the ideas can be explored a lot more.

Mel Brooks has a wonderful charm to him because he’s not child-friendly but does not rely on the use of bad words or toilet humour, making him hit that note both Steve Martin (“The Jerk”) and Eddie Murphy (“Beverly Hills Cop”) have in their good outings. Brooks plays many roles and he succeeds at being funny but I’d like to see him do a bunch of roles that show off his acting range. The other people are okay.

“History of the World Part I” features a hilarious music number and Last Supper scene that plays out like the very early ideas for “Life Off Brian”. The film works because it has a playful sense of humour that doesn’t restrict itself by trying to appeal to any one audience and that’s what I like about it but I do really wish Brooks had made the film longer because there are scenes here that feel as if they rush you by. If only “History of the World Part II” wasn’t just a gag.