This movie is a sequel to G.O.R.A. In the previous movie, the carpet salesman Arif (Cem Yılmaz) is abducted by aliens from the planet G.O.R.A. and, once there, falls in love with princess Ceku (Özge Özberk). Eventually, Arif escapes and takes Ceku with him back to Earth. In the second installment, A.R.O.G., the former commander of the planet G.O.R.A., Logar (also Cem Yilmaz), comes to Earth to have his revenge. He finds Arif and sends him to the Paleolithic Age, but since it’s a parallel universe, time flies faster than usual, and we see dinosaurs in the beginning, monkeys later on, and then humans. Arif knows Logar sent him there, and he tries to find ways to return to his universe and time. While dealing with this problem, he finds that there is a small country called A.R.O.G, whose citizens have enemies that are even more powerful. Arif tries to protect A.R.O.G., modernizing the country and making a time machine to return to his universe.
A.R.O.G. is full of typical Turkish humor. Cem Yilmaz tries to show audiences what would happen if a Turk had been one of the first human beings. In the beginning of the film, Arif sees Logar, stops a taxi, and takes a bat from it to beat Logar. In Turkey, almost every taxi driver carries a bat to protect him or herself, and this part of the movie points to that. Logar apologises to Arif, and Arif takes him to his home and says “Zeytinyaglidan al” (Eat from the olive-oiled food). Turkish cuisine has a very famous dish which is made up of grape leaves and rice, and the most important step is to cook it with olive oil. When a tourist visits a Turkish family to eat, this expression is commonly used by hosts to demonstrate how much they care about preparing the food. Elsewhere, Arif teaches the people of A.R.O.G. how to sing Turkish songs, cook Turkish food, and pay compliments to women. When he sees a beautiful woman, he says: “Taş gibiymiş” (She is like a stone), since most Turkish men say just that when they see a very beautiful and shapely woman.
"Cem Yilmaz tries to show audiences what would happen if a Turk had been one of the first human beings."
In another scene, Arif builds a fountain in A.R.O.G. and says, “Medeniyet” (modern civilisation). There is a fountain at the center of almost every town in Turkey. These towns may not have schools or hospitals, but they do have fountains, because they mean modernity according to old-fashioned thinking. In the movie, we can also see a piece of advice for tourists who want to drink the traditional Turkish alcoholic drink called rakı. Foreigners want to drink it dry, but it has to be drunk after putting water in it, and Arif does so when he sees a drink is very dry. Another reference to Turkish culture refers to Rıdvan Dilmen, an old football star and now football commentator. When he comments on live games, he sometimes says “Gol olur” (It will be a goal) a few seconds before the goal is actually scored. So, the term “Gol olur” is now used to refer to works which have not been completed yet but will be finished shortly. In the film, Ridvan Dilmen says it when there is a football game.
A.R.O.G. is one of the most expensive Turkish movies ever made, and it was the most watched movie in Turkey in 2008.
