Queen of the Jungle (1935) Review - Death Rays and Bad Gorillas

You should probably only watch this today if you have a high tolerance for people in gorilla suits that look like they were made out of old carpets. It is great for a laugh if you are with friends who like pointing at mistakes. If you want something serious or a profound exploration of the jungle, go watch The Wedding Night instead because this is not that.

The whole thing is about an expedition heading to the 'last land of Mu.' They want a golden idol because it apparently shoots a death ray from its eye. I honestly sat through this just to see the death ray. It does not disappoint in how disappointing it is.

Truman Van Dyke plays David Worth, the lead guy. He has that very specific 1930s hero voice where he sounds like he is constantly trying to sell you a used car or some life insurance. He is fine, I guess, but he mostly just looks worried near rocks.

Then there is Joan, played by Mary Kornman. She was lost in the jungle as a kid and now she is the 'queen' of the local tribe. She looks remarkably clean for someone living in a cave for fifteen years. Her hair is perfectly curled in every single shot.

I noticed early on that the 'jungle' is just a few potted plants and a California canyon. You can tell they are trying hard to make it look exotic. But then they cut to stock footage of a lion that clearly belongs in a different movie like Adventures in Africa No. 2: An African Boma.

The film grain changes every time a wild animal appears. One second the screen is clear, and the next it looks like someone dumped a bucket of sand on the lens. It is so obvious it becomes part of the charm after a while.

Let's talk about the death ray. It is basically a bright light bulb behind a piece of glass in the idol's forehead. When it goes off, the characters react like they are being hit by a nuclear bomb. But mostly, they just fall over and wait for the director to yell cut.

There is a scene where a guy gets 'zapped' and he just kind of wobbles. He looks like he is trying to remember if he left the stove on back at the camp. It is not exactly high-stakes drama. 🦁

George Chesebro plays one of the villains, and he is great at looking suspicious. He spends a lot of time whispering to other guys in hats. I think they were trying for a vibe like City Streets but with zero budget for sets.

The Pith Helmet Brigade

Most of the movie is just guys in pith helmets walking. They walk left to right. Then they walk right to left. Sometimes they stop to look at a map that looks like it was drawn with a crayon five minutes before filming.

The dialogue is mostly people shouting names at each other. "David!" "Joan!" "The Idol!" It gets repetitive if you watch it all in one sitting. It was originally a serial, so it was meant to be seen in small chunks over several weeks.

Watching it all at once is a bit like eating a whole bag of flour. It's too much of the same thing. It lacks the pacing of something like The Great Romance.

• The idol looks like spray-painted wood.
• The 'natives'