Karloff and Lugosi together again? Sign me up. The problem here is that we get a very silly film for our titans to bring to life. We can tell that the Carl Laemmle horror cycle has run out of ideas. This plot plays like a really silly atomic horror film made twenty or so years too early. There just isn't much horror in this film and the characters aren't that interesting besides for Lugosi's Dr. Benet.
Karloff is probably playing the weakest character he got during the golden age of Universal horror. His motivations are really just super silly and without any sort of gravitas to them. He exists like one of the silliest James Bond mad scientists who wants to destroy and spread chaos because the plot dictates that he must. Karloff's performance also feels really phoned in. He doesn't seem to want to really delve into this character. There just seems to be a real lack of conviction which one doesn't expect from Karloff. Maybe if the stakes were raised I might care more. Much of the horror here is implied. Dr.Rukh's laser is just a macguffin and a rather boring one when we don't see what is there. Also, the film seems to suggest the radiation drives Rukh mad but Rukh just seems sinister and silly the entire film.
Lugosi is good as a hero. I kind of really like him in this role. He's a lot of fun as a hero and generally is really in tune with this world. Karloff just doesn't give him a lot in return. I think back to the 'Black Cat' and the 'The Raven' where there is genuine chemistry based on a hate for each other. Karloff doesn't give Lugosi anything and so the film just kind of drags when Lugosi isn't there and even when he is it is kind of anti-climactic.
I wish the film had gone much much darker. 'The Black Cat' and 'The Raven' were much better films because they were really dark and defied the Hollywood code. I was really hoping the kind of sexual subplot that was in those films would be relevant here but neither Karloff or Lugosi are interested in our leading lady who has possibly the worst male love interest in all of the Universal horrors. The idea of a radioactive charged rape is really twisted and rather brilliant, too bad they weren't smart enough to go into that.
Karloff is probably playing the weakest character he got during the golden age of Universal horror. His motivations are really just super silly and without any sort of gravitas to them. He exists like one of the silliest James Bond mad scientists who wants to destroy and spread chaos because the plot dictates that he must. Karloff's performance also feels really phoned in. He doesn't seem to want to really delve into this character. There just seems to be a real lack of conviction which one doesn't expect from Karloff. Maybe if the stakes were raised I might care more. Much of the horror here is implied. Dr.Rukh's laser is just a macguffin and a rather boring one when we don't see what is there. Also, the film seems to suggest the radiation drives Rukh mad but Rukh just seems sinister and silly the entire film.
Lugosi is good as a hero. I kind of really like him in this role. He's a lot of fun as a hero and generally is really in tune with this world. Karloff just doesn't give him a lot in return. I think back to the 'Black Cat' and the 'The Raven' where there is genuine chemistry based on a hate for each other. Karloff doesn't give Lugosi anything and so the film just kind of drags when Lugosi isn't there and even when he is it is kind of anti-climactic.
I wish the film had gone much much darker. 'The Black Cat' and 'The Raven' were much better films because they were really dark and defied the Hollywood code. I was really hoping the kind of sexual subplot that was in those films would be relevant here but neither Karloff or Lugosi are interested in our leading lady who has possibly the worst male love interest in all of the Universal horrors. The idea of a radioactive charged rape is really twisted and rather brilliant, too bad they weren't smart enough to go into that.