It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

disgusting, overrated, pointless

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This attempt to update Charlie Chan to the 1980s and give him a comic bent is highly uneven: there is a load of misplaced, unfunny slapstick in it, and some big names in the cast are terribly wasted. I am a fan of Peter Ustinov (who made this in between my two favorite Poirots) and he is delightful here, but he almost seems like a supporting actor in his own movie; too much of the screen time goes to the ineffectual Richard Hatch as his "number one grandson" (Brian Keith is also very annoying as a loudmouthed police chief). The film is more successful when it sticks closer to the spirit of the original Chan films: I am referring to the b&w flashback sequence and the "clue of the fork in the tea cup", as well as the climactic gathering of the suspects for the unmasking of the "Bizarre Killer", who is, indeed, rather well-camouflaged. But as a comedy, it has very few laughs; for a funnier take on a Charlie Chan-type of detective, see "Murder By Death". ** out of 4.

During the 1930s Charlie Chan films were extremely popular with Asian American audiences; by the 1980s a later generation derided them for their use of Caucasian actors Warner Oland and Sidney Tolar in the title role. CHARLIE CHAN AND THE CURSE OF THE DRAGON QUEEN attempts to play to both sides of the coin, acting as both homage and parody of the original films. Not surprisingly, when released in 1981 it pleased neither.Set in San Francisco, DRAGON QUEEN finds Chan called out of retirement in Hawaii to uncover a serial killer whose trademark is "bizarre deaths;" he is assisted by his grandson, a bumbling Lee Chan Jr. who proves as much hindrance as help. Like most films that do not fulfill their promise, the problem begins with the script: it never really references the Chan films in any significant way, nor does it ever develop the fangs required of an effective parody. Nor are the two leads well suited to their roles: both Peter Ustinov and Angie Dickinson are wildly out of place as Chan and the Dragon Queen, utterly unfunny in every imaginable way.The saving grace of the film is in the supporting players. Perhaps the single most successful performer is Lee Grant in the role of Jimmy Jr.'s maternal and very Jewish grandmother. Grant aside, the always memorable Roddy McDowell and the brilliant Rachel Roberts jolt their every scene to life; Brian Keith plays against type as a hysterical and wildly profane police officer; and Richard Hatch is surprisingly good as Chan's bumbling grandson. Michelle Pfeiffer, in one of her earliest roles, is thrown in for good measure--and while the script gives her little to do beyond look pretty and giggle she does both extremely well.Even so, this is not enough to save the film, which slowly but surely dissolves into a morass of very obvious slapstick humor; when all is said and done, the end result is rather like THE GOOD EARTH MEETS THE PINK PANTHER. It has moments, but it is more awkward than amusing. Four stars for the efforts of Lee Grant, Roddy McDowell, Rachel Roberts and company, but--and in the words of the original screen Chan--most viewers should say "Thank you so much!" and pass along another way.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Taped this film years ago and never watched it and decided to see how young all these veteran actors were in 1981. Brian Keith played the role of a Police Chief Baxter who managed to have a car chase with a horse and buggy driven by the sexy and over dressed Dragon Queen, Angie Dickinson,"Dressed to Kill"; who over played her role and acted real nuts, but after all she had to make a living and live up to her contracts. Peter Ustinov,(Charlie Chan), looked like he was straining himself trying to speak with a Chinese accent and could never compare to the old classic B Movie Charlie Chan films of the 1930's and 40's. The entire picture gave me a headache and I wonder why it was ever made in the first place. Decide for yourself, after all, it was made in the 80's.

This is not a great movie, yet my wife and I laughed ourselves into pain. The great Peter Ustinov spins his previous role in oriental parody from "One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing"; Richard Hatch creates the most incompetent bumbler in decades of motion picture bumblers with some hilarious slapstick results; Lee Grant is a gorgeous grandmother; Roddy McDowell is the supercilious butler in a motorized wheelchair; and Michelle Pfeiffer is a ditzy Goldie Hawn clone - as well as being luminously beautiful and excellent at playing a brainless idealist just perfectly designed for the klutzy Lee Chan Jr. It is designed for fans of Charlie Chan, and it is a parody, but a loving one. The topical references are side-splitting; it helps to be old enough to have been an adult in 1981. The references to other movies abound, some subtle some obvious. The visual humour is on the level of slaps with a halibut but fun nonetheless. I gather the movie was a critical and box office flop. Even I missed it back then but I find it a guilty pleasure to disagree with almost everyone else on earth (except my wife, and that is what counts for more!): I enjoyed this idiotic little movie. And the dog deserved an Oscar.