Tuesday 6 January 2015

Ring of Terror (1962)



So, how's the weather in your neck of the words?  Or your neck of the plains, city or other non-arboreal setting?  We've definitely been having some weather around here.  Sunshine, clouds, rain.  A whole lot of climate going on.

What's that?  Why am I talking about the weather?  Well, you see, I'm padding my review: extending its length with extraneous blather not related to the central theme.  It seemed apropos, since at least three quarters of this film - which is a scant 63 minutes to begin with - is occupied with stuff that exists merely to fill time.  You could comfortably turn the thing in a 22 minute TV show and it would still have a leisurely pace.

We have time wasted on a gravedigger looking for his cat.  Time wasted on the presentation of the contestants in a beauty competition.  Time wasted on the judging of the beauty competition.  Time wasted on the 'jolly japes' of a fraternity induction.  It is true that the fraternity induction does provide an impetus for the main plot (such as it is), but the rest of the material to do with it is of a completely different tone than the supposed 'terror' we've been promised.

Heck, most of the film is of a different tone than the one suggested by the title.  It mostly seems to be aiming at sophomoric comedy.  I'd say it missed the mark, since it fails to actually be funny, but then again, so does most sophomoric comedy.

This is dull as dishwater and about as convincingly acted.  The lead did apparently go on to work on the effects for Star Wars.  I suspect he would much rather be remembered for that than for this.  Heck, he'd probably rather be remembered for his small role in Galaxina than for this turkey.

Dull, dull, dull.

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