Sax Rohmer's cruel criminal mastermind Fu Manchu is the personification of the West's fear of oriental races rising up against the white man in their quest for world domination: the 'yellow peril' incarnate in one man. A Fu Manchu movie made in the early '30s, when xenophobia against the Chinese was still rife, was never going to be anything but offensive and demeaning to Asians, especially with the titular character played by Boris Karloff in 'yellow face'. And let's not go into the fact that Fu Manchu's slaves are all bald black men in loin-cloths...
Karloff's Fu Manchu is certainly a despicable fellow, but I was surprised at how much opportunity this criminal genius allowed for his enemies to escape his fiendish death-traps. Like Austin Powers vs sharks with laser beams on their heads, the heroes' means of execution are ridiculously convoluted, giving the victims plenty of time to escape or be rescued. I understand that drawing out the seemingly inevitable is intended to be more cruel than simply chopping off their heads, but it would definitely allow less margin for error.
This time around, the evil Chinaman is trying to get his hands on the legendary scimitar and death mask of Genghis Khan, so that he can declare himself Genghis come to life and lead his followers to victory. Scotland Yard's finest, Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone), and a team of archaeologists try to find Khan's tomb before Fu Manchu, in a plot that is strikingly similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sadly, The Mask of Fu Manchu isn't quite as action-packed as Raiders - in fact, it's quite dreary and tedious for much of the time - but the overall pulpy vibe and some wonderful set design just about make it worthwhile (the villain's mad scientist laboratory and a huge spiral staircase are very impressive).
The film wraps things up in an ending that also bears remarkable similarity to the first Indiana Jones movie: the good guys blast Fu Manchu's army with an electricity ray, the streams of deadly energy passing between men just like God's rays from the Ark that zap those nasty Nazis.
4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb. Not as bad as the later Christopher Lee Fu Manchu films, but still not great.
Karloff's Fu Manchu is certainly a despicable fellow, but I was surprised at how much opportunity this criminal genius allowed for his enemies to escape his fiendish death-traps. Like Austin Powers vs sharks with laser beams on their heads, the heroes' means of execution are ridiculously convoluted, giving the victims plenty of time to escape or be rescued. I understand that drawing out the seemingly inevitable is intended to be more cruel than simply chopping off their heads, but it would definitely allow less margin for error.
This time around, the evil Chinaman is trying to get his hands on the legendary scimitar and death mask of Genghis Khan, so that he can declare himself Genghis come to life and lead his followers to victory. Scotland Yard's finest, Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone), and a team of archaeologists try to find Khan's tomb before Fu Manchu, in a plot that is strikingly similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sadly, The Mask of Fu Manchu isn't quite as action-packed as Raiders - in fact, it's quite dreary and tedious for much of the time - but the overall pulpy vibe and some wonderful set design just about make it worthwhile (the villain's mad scientist laboratory and a huge spiral staircase are very impressive).
The film wraps things up in an ending that also bears remarkable similarity to the first Indiana Jones movie: the good guys blast Fu Manchu's army with an electricity ray, the streams of deadly energy passing between men just like God's rays from the Ark that zap those nasty Nazis.
4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb. Not as bad as the later Christopher Lee Fu Manchu films, but still not great.