Wanderer of the Wasteland (1935) - A dusty, slow Zane Grey trip

Is it worth the watch?

If you like old movies where the wind sounds like a whistling kettle and everyone wears their pants way too high, then yes. It is a solid afternoon watch for fans of Zane Grey stories, but modern action fans will probably find it boring as rocks.

I think people who enjoy vintage atmosphere more than a tight plot will get the most out of this. If you hate slow pacing or black-and-white desert landscapes that look like they were filmed in a sandbox, you will probably want to skip it.

The movie starts off with Adam Larey getting blamed for something he didn't do. It is a classic setup that we have seen a thousand times, almost as much as in Out of Luck.

He runs away into the wasteland because, apparently, that is the only place a wrongly accused man can go. Dean Jagger plays Adam, and he has this very intense way of looking at things that makes you feel like he's actually thirsty.

The way they filmed the desert is actually pretty cool for 1935. It doesn't look like a nice place to visit; it looks hostile.

There is a scene with a poisoned water hole that really stuck with me. You can almost feel the grit in your teeth just watching the actors crawl around in the dirt.

Adam eventually joins this gang of outlaws who spend their time bothering gold prospectors. It is kind of funny how he just decides to be a bad guy because he's bored or hiding, I guess?

The movie doesn't really explain his transition into the outlaw life very well. One minute he is a fugitive, the next he is hanging out with marauders like it's a regular Tuesday.

Then his wife and her father show up looking for gold. They have no idea what they are doing.

It is one of those awkward movie coincidences that you just have to accept. The desert is supposed to be huge, but everyone keeps bumping into each other like they are at a grocery store.

The father-in-law is your typical gold-crazy old man. He reminds me a bit of the frantic characters you see in M'Liss, just obsessed with finding a fortune in the middle of nowhere.

There is a lot of talking about the treacherous desert wastes. Like, they mention it every five minutes just in case you forgot they are in a desert.

I noticed one reaction shot where the guy just stares at a rock for a bit too long. It felt like the editor maybe took a nap or something?

The outlaw gang is a bit generic, honestly. They are mostly just guys with scruffy faces who look like they haven't seen a bathtub in three years.

Edward Ellis is in this too, and he brings a bit of gravity to the whole thing. It is definitely better than some of the other stuff from this era, like The Last Mile, which feels much more cramped.

The ending gets a bit rushed, which is a shame because the buildup is so slow. He clears his name, of course, but it happens so fast you might miss it if you blink.

I liked the small details, like how the horses look genuinely tired. You don't see that in a lot of the cheaper westerns where the animals look like they just came from a spa.

The dialogue is very 1930s—lots of 'thee' and 'thou' vibes even when they aren't using those words. It has that theatrical feel where everyone projects their voice like they are on a stage.

One thing that was weird was the music. It just sort of stops and starts at odd times.

Overall, it’s a decent way to spend an hour if you want to see a man struggle with his conscience while getting a sunburn. 🌵

It isn't a masterpiece, and the plot has more holes than a screen door, but it has a weird charm. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.