StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Eric Stevenson This may be the highest ranked Charlie Chan film on this entire website. I feel bad for not being as captured by it as most people do. When you have a movie series with literally dozens of entries, it's easy to see them becoming episodic. It seems like less a movie and more like just a long episode of a TV show. In fact, "Columbo", another detective series actually did have episodes that were this long. That being said, this is still a good movie. I am starting to get more familiar with the characters, especially Charlie Chan's son, Jimmy.I really do like how they mixed up the formula a bit here. This wasn't really a simple murder mystery. It was interesting to see Charlie find new light shed on an old case. Was there another movie about that? There's so many characters that have distinct roles it's hard to keep up. There's just so much going on with which character was supposed to die, which one was manipulated, and how someone even died. It's not a mystery to the audience as much, but more to the characters. I still like this dynamic and would recommend this. Uh, sorry I couldn't keep up with the plot that well! ***

Lechuguilla Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates mysterious goings-on at "Dr. Cream's Museum Of Crime", which houses wax dummies of famous crime figures. The story puzzle features a murderer whose face has been changed as a result of surgery. Such a silly plot devise is a tad cheap, in that it provides the director an easy way to disguise the killer's current identity.While Chan is inside the eerie museum, at least one murder occurs. And there are roughly nine suspects, a bit much for a film with a 63 minute runtime. Still, the suspect pool provides some interestingly diverse characters.In trying to identify the killer, I guessed wrong. There's really not much to go on in terms of clues. However, some suspicious behavior and a line of dialogue offers a couple of vague hints.A mostly nighttime setting, great B&W lighting, a pronounced echo, and lightning and thunder contribute enormously to the spooky atmosphere.If I could have changed anything it would have been to reduce the number of suspects to six or seven and to focus a little more on their personalities and backgrounds. Also, I would have deleted Jimmy Chan, inserted apparently for comic relief, who is generally just annoying.An average film in the Charlie Chan series, "The Wax Museum", despite the silly plot devise and too many suspects, is enjoyable for its spooky atmosphere and for a story puzzle that's not easy to figure out.

ccthemovieman-1 After first seeing Warner Oland play Charlie Chan in a half-dozen or more pictures, this was my first look at Sidney Toler playing the famous detective. At first I thought he was a distant second to Oland but I have grown to like his version almost as much.Sen Yung was almost as good as Keye Luke, too, as one of Chan's sons and helpers. Yung plays son "Jimmy" and adds a lot of humor to the movie.What was really fun about this movie were all the varied characters. There were all kinds of suspects at the wax museum and many pretending to be statutes. The film was humorous and fascinating. Toler's films tended to have more humor in them. I enjoyed ogling Marguerite Chapman in this film. So far, no announcement of this on DVD, but I expect since the others are slowing being released.

tedg Of all the Chans that I know, this is both the best and the most interesting.The setting is really cool. Its a wax museum where contemporary crimes are displayed, using personalities that are alive and are among the statues of themselves. It is also a plastic surgery where crooks get their faces changed. And thirdly it is the site of a broadcast radio show where unsolved crimes are re-enacted on-air.It sounds complicated, and it is. But it is all done very matter of factly, so that these three very clever notions overlap and sometimes merge. Regular readers of my comments know that I love this sort of stuff, stuff I call "folding." Folding is stuff that plays with the notions of representation, and the fun is in how the movieness can play with itself, presenting to us and at the same time noodling with what it means to present. Detecting in folds has always been a way of discovering narrative. Charlie Chan mysteries aren't the most cerebral of things along these lines. And the actual mystery here is impossible for the audience to anticipate. Its just revealed. But in just the form of the thing, its great fun. It even has a chess-playing machine, a pretty savvy reference to a fourth fold. (One of the earliest Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.