Review of Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) by Justin H — 25 Aug 2009

It's been awhile since I've last seen a movie that asks its audience to suspend THIS much disbelief. Okay, so Phibes has an ancient map leading to an underground Egyptian chamber, where once every 2,000 years, a river flows that grants anyone who drinks from it eternal (or at least extremely prolonged) life. That, I can buy. But when I'm expected to swallow (among other things) the fact that Phibes not only has somehow built an extensive, subterranean stronghold beneath the Egyptian sands, but ALSO somehow outfitted it with a steady supply of electricity? Just...WHAT?! How did absolutely no one in Egypt notice him doing this? Where the hell is he generating the power from? And don't even get me started on some of the methods in which he kills people--I'd probably an aneurysm trying to figure out how some of them could ever possibly work in the real world. Not to mention the question of why Phibes didn't just share the life-giving water with his rival in the film, instead of engaging in a drawn out cat & mouse game instead.

But despite the utter nonsensical nature of this film (or perhaps because of it), "Dr. Phibes Rises Again" is pretty enjoyable for what it is. Sure, there are parts where it drags, and attempts at forced humor that fall flat, but overall it's a silly, fun little film. If you can stomach its complete disconnect from logic and reality, chances are you'd get at least something out of it.