Grade: D
Synopsis: Mystic magician Chandu (Edmund Lowe) thwarts Roxor (Bela Lugosi) and his death ray.
Chandu the Magician is a character originally made popular in radio serials. Chandu, aka Frank Chandler is the first westerner to master the secrets of the Yogi, and uses his ability to hypnotize people by looking into their eyes to thwart evil. Think Doctor Strange meets The Shadow, but sissier.
The big problem here, aside from the tremendous amount of exposition is that Bela Lugosi should be playing Chandu. This was rectified in the sequel two years later, The Return of Chandu (1934), but here we’re stuck with Lowe, who’s basically a poor-man’s Errol Flynn.
That said, the film is pretty unremarkable, despite the inclusion of many special effects shots, the best of which is the miniature version of Herbert Mundin, which provides some genuine comic relief.
Ultimately, Chandu the Magician is a bit boring. The big finale basically consists of Lugosi standing still while his fortress explodes around him. Not exactly an action extravaganza, and with acting this bad, you need action to distract you.
Bottom Line: Chandu the Magician may be worth a peek as a curiosity for Lugosi fans, but others should stay away.
