Well Deserved Praise

Too much of everything

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

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

In case you weren't already aware, but Elvis 'The King' Presley lives. In fact, he's an elderly gentleman spending his twilight years in an old people's home. And John F Kennedy is also a resident there, too. And JFK is black. And they're about to get their souls sucked out of them by an undead runaway mummy from Egypt if they're not careful. No, seriously. Or at least in (the bizarrely-titled) 'Bubba Ho-Tep' they are anyway.Yes, the film's premise is just about as 'out there' as it's title is hard to decipher (I'm not even going to try - there's some text at the beginning of the film that does a better job). So, if that brief plot summary appeals to you then you should have absolutely love this film. I did.I guess I was always predisposed to loving 'Bubba Ho-Tep' as Elvis is played (to perfection, I might add) by legendary B-movie star Bruce Campbell. However, instead of fighting the undead with a chainsaw and 'boom-stick,' here he's a little more handicapped with only a zimmer-frame and faulty plumbing keeping his soul from being lost forever. If you think that Bruce Campbell 'carries' the 'Evil Dead' franchise (then you're probably right), but the point I'm making is that this film would probably be nothing without him and his portrayal of Elvis. He plays 'the King' as a retrospective character, now in the twilight of his years and looking back over the mistakes he made and wishing there was a way of atoning for all the years he'd wasted on chasing fame when there were more important things to concentrate on - like family.Elvis' partner in crime (and only other person who actually believes he's really the king of rock and roll) is former president, John F Kennedy, played by Ossie Davis. If you're wondering why a black man is playing JFK then you'll have to watch the film to find out!. Either way, Davis does very well, but his character isn't given quite as much screen time as Campbell's, meaning he's always going to be second best to 'the chin.'Bubba Ho-Tep' was always destined to be a 'cult' film. It's title is obscure and was never likely to interest the masses. Just like the subject matter is hardly going to get the public flocking to the cinema (was it ever even released in the cinema? I certainly don't remember hearing about it here in the UK!). But, whether you're a die-hard fan of Bruce (like myself), or just fancy a film that doesn't contain superheroes flying around New York, then you should give this one a go. It's got horror. It's got comedy. It's got originality. And, best of all, it has Bruce.

Living in a rest home in Texas, a resident who claims to be Elvis feels threatened by the disappearance of the residents and soon takes up with another resident when they find that an Egyptian mummy is the source of the deaths and take it upon themselves to defend the rest home.There really was a few good things about it. One of the films' more enjoyable aspects is the demented and rather unique setup this one has that gives this a really enjoyable setup. Not only is the central premise of the residents at a rest home feel like a truly original concept, but the way this one brings about the introduction of the two central characters which is a rather novel idea which picks up a rather interesting concept that isn't all too commonly utilized. The idea of the mummy coming to life and feeding on the souls of the rest-home residents who are at the end of their life which is what it needs to survive plays into the perfect cover here, and it's pointing how that comes into the main gist of the story here. There's also some big fun to be had with the film's rather strong action scenes when they occur as these are quite nice, from the fight scene with the huge scarab beetle in the room where they battle throughout the area, a series of investigations that show the creature as being involved in the area affecting the hospital and the big finale where they engage in an extended, prolonged battle against the mummy in the park outside which is rather enjoyable for the tactics used to battle the mummy. Given that these are where we get to see the mummy in full-on views which gives this a nice chance to show off the nice make-up work done for the creature coming into play. The other big positive here is that the film looks better than it should as the rest home has a grim, weathered look which is put to best use in the scenes with the mummy strolls down the hallway in front of terrified residents with the light flickering and distorting around him. There might be a few chuckles from the dialog as well which can arouse some comedy, but otherwise, there isn't a lot here to really condemn the film on either. The film's terrible crime is that there isn't anything in the way of action in the film and it's a terminally slow film. The one attack mentioned above constitutes the film's action scenes until the conclusion, which is so slow and drawn out that it borders on the sleep-inducing. It really needed a rousing finale to wake us up during the slow sections, but it's all so humdrum that it completely passes over and only the end credits signal the film's conclusion. That's all there really is to say about this one, as it really didn't do much else.Rated R: Graphic Language and Violence.

An Elvis impersonator (or possibly the real deal?) and a black wheel- chaired bound man who believes that he is JFK battle an ancient Egyptian mummy who sucks his victim's souls out of them. And it's set in a dingy retirement home. How could you not be intrigued? There needs to be more movies like this

To be honest, I've never been a Don Coscarelli fan. I never liked his 'Phantasm' flicks and found his cinematic technique wanting.Having said that, Bubba Ho-Tep turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The film concerns an Elvis impersonator (superbly limned by Bruce Campbell) who may or may not be the real Elvis, living in a dumpy old rest home in Texas, old, grumpy, tired by the life he's allegedly led and wondering about his next meal, bowel movement, and lack of sexual urges.He is joined by the late, great Ossie Davis as another elderly resident who thinks he is John F. Kennedy. The lunacy begins when the two join forces to fight and kill a mummy who's appeared and who's killing off the elderly inhabitants of the rest home.While the supporting roles are handled well by Ella Joyce and Reggie Bannister (among others) Campbell and Davis are the whole show. Campbell plays Elvis as the real Elvis would play himself: as someone who verges on self-parody but never crosses that line. Davis is also excellent in a role that not many others could have played so well, and Coscarelli, working with a shoestring budget, demonstrates a number of clever touches (the mummy's subtitles, for example) that makes the film all the more enjoyable. It's never as scary as you think it might be, and it's never really as funny as it should be, but the acting is so good that it sucks you in and doesn't let you go until the final credits are done and the house lights come on.What it really is, is a meditation on growing old, being shuttled to the sidelines of life, and having the guts to go out with a bang. Hail to the King, baby. Elvis would have been proud of this.