Bubba Ho-Tep

Friday, September 26, 2003

Elvis and JFK battle a cowboy mummy in an old folks home - the premise alone should earn this movie good marks. Bruce Campbell stars in the role of Elvis. Things are sounding even better! Ultimately, however, despite the tremendous potential of this brilliant chemistry I left the theatre feeling that the film, ultimately, was just pretty good, and not as great as it could have been.

At parts the first two thirds of the movie seem to plod along in exposition, and the plot is utterly straight forward and lacking in the kinds of twists, turns, and plot development that should carry a movie through it's middle, leaving it with the feel of a movie that has a beginning, an end, and nothing in between. At the same time, plot does not seem to be one of the goals of this movie. Rather, it seems intentionally more just a hastily constructed platform to create a truly bizarre scenario and some very funny Bruce Campbell moments (although none quite as good as the best in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness).

As a result, members of the Cult of All That is Bruce Campbell will still thoroughly enjoy this film simply for the fact that it combines Bruce Campbell's trademark one-liner deliveries with a portrayal of geriatric Elvis. Other performances in the movie were well done, but hopelessly overshadowed by Bruce Campbell's inconquerable presence. If you are not a fan of Bruce Campbell, however, the movie has the potential of becoming a bit laborious at times.

Rating: C+

Reviewed by Kenji Baugham
Contents
The Hills Have Eyes 2

Hostel Part II

Six Degrees

Shark

Jericho

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Justice

The Hills Have Eyes

Love Monkey

Out of Practice

Head Cases

Crunchwrap Supreme

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Batman Begins

Garden State

Hero

13 Going On 30

LAX

Starman

quirkyalone.net

Kill Bill, Vol. 2

Line of Fire

We Shall All Be Healed

Happy Family

Arrested Development

Love Actually

A Minute with Stan Hooper

Tarzan

Karen Sisco

Stop All the World Now

Cold Case

Skin

10-8

Joan of Arcadia

Eve

Luis

Lost In Translation

House of 1000 Corpses

Bubba Ho-Tep

Darkness Falls

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Amazing Race

Treasure Island

FearDotCom

Adaptation

To Hit Armor Class Zero

Without A Trace

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter

Life With Bonnie

JalapeƱo Cheeseburger

The Mothman Prophecies

Happy Campers

The Man Who Wasn't There

Kiss of the Dragon

Josie & the Pussycats

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Dr. Pepper

Know By Heart

Waking Life

L.I.E.

Thirteen Ghosts

Earthlink presents Chang and Eng

New York and Country Bar

Change

Motivation and Water Tower Grammar

Crossing Philly

Makeout Club

Undeclared

The Gap

The Abolition of Work

3000 Miles to Graceland

Kolobos

Duets

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Diesel Sweeties

The Cold Six Thousand

The Grilled Stuft Burrito (Rebuttal)

60 Second Wipeout

The Patriot

Grilled Stuft Burrito

Cowgirls

Crystalline

Frankenfinger E.P.

One Force Down

Shake

Both Our Secrets

Happy Birthday Captain Columbus!

Fight Club

Whatever It Takes

Committed

That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice?

Joe Dirt

The Veggie Whopper

Taco Bell Nachos

Palmetto

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

The Terror of Mechagodzilla

To The Center

Infiniti+Infiniti

American Psycho

The Del Shredder

What Lies Beneath

The Cheesy Gordita Crunch

Bring It On

Chill Factor

Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars

Bad Company

The Blair Witch Project

Hyacinths and Thistles

Lake of Dracula

We'll Have a Time

Home Depot

Snow Day

The Virgin Suicides