The first iconic family friendly movie is actually a super dark, Freaky Sci-Fi, now forgotten

By Robert Scucci | Being published 30 seconds ago

If you’re of a certain age, you’re probably familiar with the antics of Ernest P. Worrell, portrayed by the late Jim Varney. Before we got the adorable smpamstick titles featuring Ernest as the lead, we first met him in 1985’s Uncommon Entry Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beamwhich shows the endless Malic Varney taking on six different personalities, all with a hand that grows out of their head. While it’s not the best introduction to Varney’s career, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience that long-time fans will find hard to look away from.

I’ll be the first to admit it Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beam it makes very little sense. It does, however, do a great job showcasing Varney’s raw talent as a comedian, voice artist, and all the strength of personality that fans still love today.

A strange setup that keeps climbing

Many versions of Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beam Find ONTIRAL in this crisis in Dr. Otto’s Lair, where he decides to use his mysterious device that reveals him to destroy financial institutions around the world, starting with Cincinnati, Ohio, of all places. Some VHS releases, however, include a short sequence in which Ernest P. Worrell stumbles upon a “box flip,” setting the events of the film. Depending on how you cut it, your introduction may vary, but not much changes in the grand scheme of things.

When Dr. Otto successfully attacks the banks with his black beam, he broadcasts an idle riddle; A long, slanted poem to be pieced together by archnemesis, lance sterling (MYAK R. Mueller). Lance, who was born in the same hospital on the same day as Dr. Otto, is definitely the opposite. Raised by a loving family, Lance is a grown man’s boy who jumps at the chance to save the day, and by extension, the world, from Dr. Otto’s latest bout.

Ignore the plot, enjoy the characters

The best way to watch Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beam not as a coherent film, but as a series of interconnected vignettes. As lance and his sidekick and revealed love interest Doris Talbert (Jackie Welch), our incomparable villain using the Pirate, and Aunt Dawy, an old woman with a regenerating size, all played by Jim Varney.

As lance struggles to solve the riddle and fight the omos of Otto’s Bizarre Alter, the plot FADES into the background while Varney’s range takes the stage. It’s not a lot of money dear inside Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beambut the absurd exchange between lance, doris, and varney transforms varney’s villains.

By the time the third act hits, the film becomes a sensory frenzy of bright colors, mindless energy and pure camp. You will stop trying to follow the riddle and start enjoying the chaos that has spilled into the black hole itself.

A heavy, but handsome prototype

Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beam it’s pure camp from start to finish. What they say in the narrative structure, it creates the technicolor set pieces, the manic energy, and Varney’s total commitment to the writing and direction as well as the direction and direction by John Cherry. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s the kind of blankness only Jim Varney can do, faced with opportunity and charisma.

If you just want to turn off your brain and watch one of the many different multiplayer games that work with unlimited characters without a half without a blocking strategy, Dr. Otto and the riddle of the dark beam free streaming on tubi.