Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

An alternate title for the film could have easily been "Charlie Chan and the Curse of Having to Sit through Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen". If Mel Brooks had been given an opportunity to rewrite the script and direct the movie, then it might have had a chance. Instead, it turned out to be an almost entirely absurd effort with few redeeming qualities.The movie is now a permanent testament to the belief that quality actors, like the cast in this film - Angie Dickinson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter Ustivov, Brian Keith, and Roddy McDowell - can't save a bad script, and this script is as bad as they come. Watch at your own risk.

The amazing super sleuth is back and he's here to solve another crime. In "Charlie Chan and The Curse of the Dragon Queen", Mr. Chan(Peter Ustinov) come out of retirement to help his bumbling son Lee (Richard Hatch, "Battlestar Galactica") solve a murder in San Francisco. The cause of the crime is a adversary Chan dealt with years earlier: The Dragon Queen(Angie Dickison). This woman would strike where ever the family goes. Her "curse" would bear misery to anyone who crosses her. However, when the police caught her again, someone else was causing the problems, and the Dragon Queen was just a distraction to the real culprit. The music was hilarious, and very entertaining at the same time. Peter Ustinov did well playing Asian. Richard Hatch was very funny in the movie playing a clumsy detective, a scene he would never do when he was on BS. Michelle Pfiffer was excellent as well. This movie was worth the watch, the trailer was a gem! 4.5 out of 5 stars!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit to having seen Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen in the theater during its original run. I hadn't seen it since and when I found the DVD on sale for less than the price of a rental, I decided to give it another chance. Big mistake! It's as bad as I remembered. I suppose that the movie was an attempt to cash-in the success of Murder by Death, another comedy featuring fictional but famous detectives as its central characters. By that's where the comparisons end. Murder by Death was brilliant. That movie was intelligent, witty, and filled with biting dialogue as its comedic base. In contract, Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen relies on juvenile slapstick to get a laugh. While there are a few moments that brought a smile to my face, as a whole, it's just not funny. And, there's nothing intelligent about any of it. What a wasted opportunity!

If the A.F.I. decides to vote on the 100 best kisses in American Film, they have to put Richard Hatch's and Michelle Pfeiffer's kiss in the top ten. Not only are we talking tung, but a 45 second smooch that makes the viewers laugh as well as cry. Fast forward to this scene first, the rest of the film can wait.