She (1935): A Bizarre, Glittery Fever Dream

Is this thing worth a watch?

Honestly, it depends on how much you love 1930s sets that look like they were built out of cardboard and pure ambition. If you are into weird, forgotten stuff that feels like a fever dream, you will probably dig it. If you need, like, a coherent plot or characters who act like real people, skip it. You will absolutely hate the pacing if you are used to modern movies.

The whole thing feels like a stage play that decided to wander into a blizzard. Helen Gahagan as She is just… something else. She moves like she is floating on ice skates even when she is standing perfectly still.

There is this moment where the explorers are trekking across the snow and they look so aggressively cold, but the fake frost on their jackets looks like someone just dumped a bag of baking soda on them. It’s hard not to giggle. It reminds me of the low-budget charm you sometimes find in movies like Fangs of Wolfheart, where the sets are clearly just trying their best to exist.

The Art Deco madness

Once they get to the hidden city, the movie loses its mind in the best way. Everything is covered in geometric shapes and weird, glowy bits. It is so much. It feels like someone took a bunch of leftover props from a futuristic silent film and just shoved them into an ancient tomb.

The dialogue is super dramatic, like everyone is constantly trying to audition for a Shakespearean tragedy. It never stops. It is exhausting, but kind of fun if you don't take it seriously.

• That one scene with the giant statue? Totally unnecessary, but I loved it.
• The background extras in the cave scenes look like they are just waiting for their lunch break.
• The Flame of Life itself looks like a oversized lava lamp from a thrift store.

Sometimes the movie just stops dead for a long, awkward stare. You can really feel the director trying to sell the "epic" nature of it all. It does not always work, but you have to admire the nerve.

Final thoughts (or whatever)

It is definitely not as tight or emotionally weird as The Smiling Madame Beudet, but it has this weird, pulsing energy. It is a total relic. If you have an hour or so to burn and you want to look at some wild costumes and people acting very intense for no reason, go for it. 🧊✨