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4.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Lion Man remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a serious itch for 1930s adventure serials or if you are the kind of person who thinks The County Fair was too high-brow. If you hate stilted dialogue or sets that look like they might fall over if someone sneezes, stay far away. 🦁
The whole thing feels like a fever dream Edgar Rice Burroughs had after eating too much cheese. You have the classic setup: boy loses dad, boy wants revenge, desert hijinks ensue. It is very simple. Maybe too simple.
There is this one scene where a character is meant to look menacing, but he just kind of stands there shifting his weight. It’s supposed to be tense, but I spent the whole time wondering if the actor forgot his lines or was just really hungry. It’s that kind of movie.
The backgrounds in this thing are something else. You can practically see the brushstrokes on the painted backdrops. At one point, the lighting changes so drastically between shots that it looks like day turned into night in about three seconds. I laughed. My cat did not.
Some of the acting feels like they were reading the script for the first time while the camera was rolling. It lacks the polish you get in something like The Somme, but it has this weird, frantic energy that I kind of dug. It doesn't take itself too seriously, which is the only way it could survive.
It’s not exactly a cinematic masterpiece. It feels more like a Saturday afternoon curiosity that someone dug out of a basement. If you go in expecting a deep drama, you will be disappointed. But if you want to see someone get hit with a prop chair in 1936? You are in for a treat.
I wouldn't call it a classic. It’s barely a movie, really. It’s more of a vibe. A weird, dusty, slightly broken vibe. Still better than watching Playmates for the fifth time, if we are being honest.