I really don't get the hype.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

OK--so the name turned me off too--and I thought--Mr. Rock and Roll and Colonel--what in tarnation are you shaking here?? Yet--as I succumbed to watch this silly modern-day "Road to Scarum" film--I began enjoying it. OK--I admit, I'm biased. As I listened to so many of "the King of Rock and Roll's" songs--I couldn't help falling in love with Elvis--as imperfect as he was. What I read about him--he seemed like such a nice guy--caring about others and a phenomenal talent! Mary Anne Mobley is a beautiful sight to see in this film (I'm biased towards her also!)--the movie is cute and has a lot of funny action. I like "feel good" movies, which I don't think you see nowadays--that the whole family can watch--and Elvis did alot of them, even if he didn't get to showcase his great acting range--which he definitely had. But it's still a cute movie. Good humor--action and romance--is underrated.

Honestly, how could anyone say that they liked this film? How could anyone say that most of the songs were even vaguely acceptable? Whilst the Beatles were doing "Help" Elvis was doing this! I watch this film with a profound sense of despair for the thrilling rock and roller who was turned into a bland automaton - from Heartbreak Hotel to pap. From a young firebrand to a pantomime character in lime green baggy pants. Colonel Parker knew he had a cash cow that would provide milk irrespective of the quality of the film or the music. Harum Scarum is incontrovertible proof that Parker had no respect for Elvis the person or the artist. Strangely, this film provided Elvis with two female co-stars who had genuine star quality - Fran Jeffries and Mary Ann Mobley. Only Ann Margret in Viva Las Vegas gave him the sexual competition that Fran and Ann provided. Without them, this film would have been utterly devoid of class. If only Fran Jeffries had been provided with a few dance routines, the film may have had a redeeming feature. Lastly, I am always struck by the fact that this impossibly handsome and healthy man would within a few years become a bloated parody of himself. Where did he go? Were films like Harum Scarum a sinister foreshadowing of a lost personality or am I reading too much into it? Did I really discern hints of self-loathing in his performance in this film? Had the Elvis who had always wanted to be movie star and who admired James Dean finally realized that his mentor and promoter had sold his dream for a handful of gold? Was Elvis the loneliest man on Earth? He certainly looked like it in this film.

Usually, I am partial to Arabian Nights-type romps but, unfortunately, Elvis had better stuck to karate as the few, weak swashbuckling scenes he has in this film show that he is clearly no fencer and, what’s worse, this is undoubtedly the silliest vehicle I’ve seen of his so far, with a meaningless title to boot (no wonder it was changed to HAREM HOLIDAY – also the name of one of the tunes Presley sings in the film – in the U.K.); I guess the fact that the same writer-producer-director team who brought us the dismal KISSIN’ COUSINS (1964) was also behind this one should have been fair warning...The songs are all below-par and, lazily, there isn’t any attempt to give them the expected ethnic touch; one of them even has the star singing as a reflection in a pool imagined by the heroine – a Sultan’s daughter, naturally! As usual with this type of film, the villainess is far more interesting than the heroine but the sheer obviousness of the true identity of the duplicitous villain (Michael Ansara as the Sultan’s brother) is no help either. The would-be jokes involving the clash of cultures generally fall flat and Elvis’ annoying cohorts – a smarmy beggar and ubiquitous dwarf-thief Billy Barty – offer little respite from the generally desperate air of the whole production.

You guys are going a little overboard with your harsh criticisms! OK, so you say the plot is very predictable……….can you name off every movie that's not predictable and maybe list over one percent of every movie ever made??? To verbusen: "The times left Elvis behind with the British invasion already 2 years in the go" Yeh, and it was 2 years after this that Elvis came back and killed everyone once again with number singles left and right, right in the middle your British invasion. Yes, the movie had cheap outfits and props and many actions sequence/effects were not so great, but it was 1968 people!!! I'm not exactly watching a lot of 1968 movies that have 3d and cg effects blowing me away here. And to the other people saying it had typical "Elvis music". You must mean some of his filler songs for his movies because if you mean typical as in elvis's music in general you have another thing coming with 30 number 1s and over 1.2 billion records sold!!! Look people it's very simple, Elvis and the people making were not making this movie with the expression "ok, this is our talents at their best and this is the max of our acting, writing and directing skills". Yes, even in those days and for thousands of years before movies the main thing is MONEY!! The people making the film simply said "This is not our best by any means; we are so better than this, but since Elvis is in it people will buy it regardless so lets make it cheap and quick because were getting the money anyways" They had the "spit it out" attitude which is what they did so they could move on to the next project and do the same thing to get their money! You can't have the attitude, "man these people suck!!" They knew it sucked when they made it, they simply didn't care because they knew the same people who said it sucked while leaving the theater would have just payed to see it. And what do ya know…….they were right. The movie made double it's money!! Elvis doesn't suck, non of those people sucked, they just didn't care!