Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Blake Rivera If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

binapiraeus If you choose to have a try at this movie for Bela Lugosi's sake, or for it being promoted as a 'horribly funny comedy' - let me warn you: it's ONLY worth the sacrifice of sitting through this idiotic 'spoof' for a TRUE fan of Bela Lugosi who (like me) can share his pain of being degraded from a horror icon and immensely variable character actor to a 'decoy' for luring audiences into the theaters to watch silly little teenager 'comedies'...From beginning to end, the movie is incredibly badly directed and acted (especially that little nerd Sammy Petrillo, a kind of Jerry Lewis for the VERY poor, doesn't stop getting on our nerves even for a moment), the 'special effects', namely the 'transformation scenes', make those in the silent version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" 30 years earlier look REALLY modern, and the studio 'jungle' is as phony as the 'natives'.So, only those who are able to endure to sit through that whole 'film' will get to see the ONLY thing that's worth watching - and admiring: Bela Lugosi, the great, earnest, REAL professional who loved his acting profession SO much that he gave his best, as always, as the shady, jealous, crazy scientist, even in this cinematographic 'monster' that's not even 'so bad it's good'; it's simply BAD. So we REALLY must take our hats off to Bela, who, although this 'comedy' is MUCH worse than any of the nonsense he did a few years later for Ed Wood, manages to keep his dignity even here, among untalented teenagers and with a script that's not even worth the paper it was written on, acting with a MORE than admirable devotion to his role and with real professionalism.

TOMASBBloodhound Yes, this film was made on a shoestring budget. Yes, the plot is ridiculous. And yes, one of the best performances in the film is by a chimpanzee. But this is still a cute little film that can provide more than a few chuckles to any viewer who stumbles upon it.The wafer-thin plot involves two lounge performers named Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo who wash up on a tropical island. They quickly make friends with the native tribe, but when they turn to a mysterious scientist to help them get off the island, they become involved in his evil plot to reverse the process of evolution in primates. Legendary horror film star Bela Lugosi plays this evil Dr. Zabor who intends to turn the two Boys From Brooklyn into gorillas. Can they escape the island before he unleashes his evil plan? Obviously this is a plot that could only have been played for laughs, and it pretty much is. There is nothing remotely scary about any of this. The acting is often atrocious, but not completely so. Lugosi brings as much bravado as he did to any of his films, and his screen presence is as strong as ever. Even though this was one of his last films, he still seems to have some energy left. Sammy Petrillo's Jerry Lewis impersonation is in fact hilarious. So much so that Lewis himself sued his former protégé. On the DVD there is a brief interview with Petrillo who is still pretty bitter about his treatment by Lewis who had apparently once promised to take him under his wing in the business. Mitchell's singing voice isn't bad, but his acting sure is. Charlita, who plays the island chief's daughter is nice to look at, but doesn't act that terribly well either. And the gentleman who plays Lugosi's henchman gives perhaps the worst performance in film history. I mean it is bad! Cheeta the Chimp plays Ramona the Chimp, and he steals virtually every scene he's in. Can you believe that little monkey is still alive?? If you have 74 minutes to kill, and need a few chuckles, give it a try. In spite of Martin Landau's comments, this film is still better than anything Edward D. Wood Jr. ever made! I'll give it 5 of 10 stars.The Hound.

tavm Okay, having just watched the first 6 of Martin & Lewis' films, I thought I'd take a break and see something else. Something that starred their impersonators. Something called Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla! That title was supposedly made up by the producer's kid and by giving it that name, Mr. Lugosi didn't have to worry that anyone would forget who the star is. Yeah, I'd say he's probably the main attraction, then and now, since he's the only one anyone would recognize here except, like I just said, there's two other people that look like a popular comedy team that had emerged during this era, only their names are Duke Mitchell & Sammy Petrillo. Now Duke does sing a couple of songs of which I thought the first was lame (and he really looked like he was mouthing to, I assume, his own recordings) and the second was okay though he really doesn't resemble Dean in looks or voice but his attitude is the same. And Sammy does resemble Jerry both in looks and attitude but the lines he's given were alternately a little amusing and mostly lame though I did like it when they did a bit about having seen Lugosi before. Oh, and unlike Lewis at the time, Petrillo does mention some Jewish terms. As for their leading ladies, Charlita as Nona, Dean's girl is sexy enough while Muriel Landers as Saloma (who Sammy sometimes refers as "Salami"!) has a pleasingly plump figure that doesn't completely drive Sammy away. There's also a monkey who was borrowed from the Tarzan movies that's good for some cuteness and a couple of men in gorilla suits that provide the amusingly lame climax. And Lugosi himself, despite being reduced to appearing in many of these low-budget productions late in his career, still provides some moments worth watching especially when he parodies his career reputation with Duke & Sammy. So on that note, Bela Lugosi Meets a Broklyn Gorilla is worth a look for anyone curious about this one-shot chance with these Martin & Lewis impersonators. P.S. I have to note that Ms. Landers was another performer from my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.

bkoganbing I remember seeing this film as a kid and wondering who these two guys were who were doing this bad imitation of Martin and Lewis. Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo mercifully left the cinema after this horribly bad film which only left poor Bela Lugosi work for someone like Ed Wood.The sad thing I believe was that Bela probably took the part because he was going to be billed in the title of the film, the way his rival Boris Karloff was billed in Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. Even though that wasn't one of A&C's best it still was miles above this grade Z shlock.Bela tries to make it work, hams it up in his best sinister manner. But even he noted that the classic horror film was killed by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. It would not be revived until Hammer Films over in the UK started putting out those Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee bloodfests.Of course no songs were written of the caliber of what Dean Martin was singing at Paramount and Duke Mitchell is a bad high school version of Dean Martin. I can't remember any of them, probably that's a blessing.For Bela Lugosi completists only.