Truly Dreadful Film

Am I Missing Something?

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) This one depends on your enthusiasm for Abbott and Costello. Mine has waned over the years and Lou is more childish than childlike for me now. Bud's slapping routine is just annoying. I saw the beginning, napped through most of the middle, and caught the end. I feel that I didn't miss too much.Richard Deacon was there as the head priest and Michael Ansara was also seen. The costumes were odd and so was what there was of "plot".There were several dance / music sequences some of which, illogically , were based on Hindu Mythology rather than on Egyptian.For me it was pretty lame and not to be recommended.

Bud and Lou find themselves pursued by an Egyptian cult for a special medallion linked to a walking mummy.Abbott and Costello made a large number of films, and a good number of those involved Universal's monsters. This was towards the end of that run, but no less fun or interesting than those at the beginning. Sure, there are no big names here. No Karloff. And a mummy called Klaris rather than Kharis (not that this matters).The fun of the two heroes is still here, with a few of those word jokes we love. There is the obvious mummy / mommy joke, but then another one that might be less obvious involving a pick and a shovel. Good stuff.

Despite being one of the later films in the Abbott and Costello series, it remains one of their most entertaining movies – thanks to a fast-paced plot, a touch of clever scripting here and there and gags which come thick and fast all the way through. The story is as light as ever, involving scheming gangs of nefarious villains, people being chased all over the scenery, lots of secret passages and sarcophagi, a murderous mummy (a pretty poor shambler to be honest) and our duo getting involved in their usual hijinks; namely, Costello seeing all manner of weird and scary stuff, and straight man Abbott missing all the fun each and every time.Although it's a low budget movie with some unconvincing Egyptian locales, not to mention actors (I guess they got through a fair few tins of boot polish here) there is much to enjoy here. Costello is less irritating than usual and is funny on occasion and more than a few jokes are successful; the dinner-table routine with the cursed medallion is a particular highlight and many moments recall the glory days of vintage comedy, in the Laurel & Hardy era.The film does have some longeurs, namely the incessant musical interludes – apparently they had to pad the running time out, even though it only clocks in at seventy-five minutes – and supporting talent from a better-than-usual cast, including a young Mel Welles. Cheesy special effects add to the movie's endearingly dated appeal; an animated bat is even worse than the effects in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN and a plethora of rubber snakes only add to the jokey fun. Made with a tongue firmly in cheek and with gusto from the cast and crew, this is one of the most straightforwardly enjoyable Abbott and Costello films out there.

This is the last hurrah for Universal Pictures from the dynamic duo of Bud & Lou. Tho the film finds them long past their best, with the overall material having to be severely stretched to sustain a feature length movie, it does however have some merit. The plot sees the lads mixed up in a murder mystery with an Egyptian cult. Cue lots of Mummy like staple scenario's as our bumbling duo bluster their way thru by luck more than any sort of guile. In the hands of lesser comedians this production would have sank without trace, but such is the vibrancy and comedic knowing of the pair the film at least remains watchable to the end. It may well find them on auto-pilot, but a couple of scenes show why they were such well loved comedians. With medallion hamburgers and a triple whammy of Mummies for the typically frenetic finale, the movie, if not even close to doing justice to their great careers, does remain engaging and thankfully stays above average. 6/10