It all must mean something! Maybe if I break this dog open!
Dr. Phibes Rises Again! (1972) is primarily about Dr. Phibes, antagonist of the previous The Abominable Dr. Phibes, inventing new ways to eliminate his foes as he searches for the fabled river of life in Egypt, dragging his dead wife and mysterious assistant Vulvania with him. Yet, for all the piled bodies, he continues to miss an important mark, his competitor in the search, Biederbeck, a man who’s already lived for centuries, but has run out the string and is in search of more … string.
As such, the rest of the movie receives a rather short shift. Editing is excessively choppy, the dialog is merely adequate, while Vincent himself looks quite ill and continues to resort to the tube in his neck for his monologues.
If murder in exotic form excites your interest, then by all means indulge in this odd little film, but there’s not a lot more to it than a mediocre Vincent and bodies strewn about the landscape in fairly inventive ploys. No one excites sympathy, so the passing of so many characters must be appreciated for its inventiveness, not for the sad tragedies.
