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United Kingdom · 1965
Rated G · 1h 32m
Director Richard Lester
Starring George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr
Genre Comedy, Music
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In this musical comedy adventure starring The Beatles, an obscure cult that believes in human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he accidentally put on their victim's ceremonial ring. Along the way, he is also pursued by a pair of mad scientists, a member of a side cult, and the London police.
Help! is basically five sight gags played over and over in unimaginative variations. Halfway through, the film literally runs out of steam and the second half of Help! (especially the dismally dull Bahamas scenes) can only be tolerated by the most rabid of Beatles addicts.
Village Voice by Andrew Sarris
Help does not indicate that Lester has depleted his bag of tricks, but rather that he is too addicted to fragmentation for its own sake. [09 Sep 1965, p.15]
The New York Times by Bosley Crowther
The boys themselves are exuberant and uninhibited in their own genial way. They just become awfully redundant and—dare I say it?—dull.
The music, even after a quarter of a century, is the film's redemption.