Bubba Ho-tep 2002

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: Campbell gives another notable acrobatic performance, which is saying something for an actor who has spent the best part of his career getting knocked around by ghosts and ghouls. Read more

Kevin M. Williams, Chicago Tribune: Coscarelli ... can't quite conjure a complete movie out the concept and stretches the material until its humorous conceits repeat ad nauseum. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: Ho-Tep is a punch line in search of a setup. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Writer-director Don Coscarelli piles on unpleasant details and cynical asides as if they were the stuff of wisdom, though they seem intended to produce guffaws rather than thoughts Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Coscarelli, who brought us four volumes of Phantasm, is a surefooted B-movie journeyman, and for Bubba Ho-Tep he's in a generously lunatic mood. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Writer-director Don Coscarelli, maker of such potent cult films as Phantasm and The Beastmaster, fails to come up with enough incidents and action to make this overly leisurely picture the zany fun it means to be. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Often hilarious low-budget romp. Read more

Vic Vogler, Denver Post: Bubba Ho-Tep succeeds as goofy-yet- tender wish fulfillment, offering an Elvis who tries to redeem his self-indulgent persona and become a hero. It fails as the sort of Campbell vehicle that wears out VCRs and haunts midnight-movie houses. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Coscarelli, writer-director of the logy, fatuous Bubba Ho-Tep, is trying to will a cult movie into existence -- which, of course, never works. Read more

Charles Ealy, Dallas Morning News: Bubba Ho-tep may sound bizarre, but it's a lot of fun. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: It keeps surprising you at nearly every turn. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: The movie deserves its advance cult status because of its antic humor and, of course, Campbell's Elvis. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Coscarelli gives this low-rent lunacy an accomplished visual look as well as plenty of B-movie charm. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: Done on the cheap but with great flair. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: One of the most cool and tantalizingly bizarre flicks of 2003, this movie isn't afraid to try anything. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: It has the damnedest ingratiating way of making us sit there and grin at its harebrained audacity, laugh at its outhouse humor, and be somewhat moved (not deeply, but somewhat) at the poignancy of these two old men and their situation. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Surprisingly good as a quirky triumph of human spirit. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Bubba Ho-Tep takes care of business, baby. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Nigel Floyd, Time Out: There's plenty of scatological humour and knockabout fun to get one through the slower passages. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: A mismatched marriage of offbeat character study and unimaginative horror riffs. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Neither particularly funny nor scary, but tiresome. Read more