It was only by chance, and an unlikely chain of browsing and search results, that led to me discovering this film. Between the name, the premise, and the byline that suggested "Barbarella meets Indiana Jones," how could I possibly pass it up? Well, maybe the "how" is answered by the knowledge I wish I could have had at the outset: that the pacing is forced and unnatural; that the storytelling is astoundingly direct to the point of being bare-faced and boring; and that a dire excess of ideas are thrown at us within the first ten minutes, let alone the first twenty and beyond, that comes off not as variety or fun-loving adventure but instead as haphazard, sloppy writing. The characters are hollow shells with meaningless veneers of single personality traits, the dialogue is terrible, the scene writing is a godawful mishmash of a kluge, and while the story sounds promising from the outside looking in, in actuality it's achingly thin and flimsy in addition to being plainspoken - and the result is just plain boring basically as soon as we press "play." 'The perils of Gwendoline in the land of the Yik-Yak,' also known simpy as 'Gwendoline,' is not good. It is, in fact, awful.
The first taste we get of Pierre Bachelet's music, over the opening credits, is fun and enticing, and some themes to follow later are pretty swell. As the length progresses, though, it's nevertheless reasonable to wonder if that opening theme was the top highlight of these 106 minutes. In fairness, the filming locations are outstanding and gorgeous, and so is the art direction. Stunts, effects, and action sequences are very well done in and of themselves, and I appreciate the costume design, hair, and makeup. There are some clever moments here and there, such as seemingly mousy Beth getting rowdy with a group of locals. On the other hand, the acting is overcooked, and the action sequences are painted over with a soft, flat, dull tone - abetted by ho-hum, repetitive music - that neutralizese the excitement they should carry. Attempted humor or basic levity completely fail to land. The writing is bad, the direction is bad, the acting is bad, the action comes up short, the comedy comes up short - is there actually of major importance here that comes off well? 'Gwendoline' may have been inspired by pulp adventure stories, but it mostly comes across as a floundering, weak, unfunny attempt at a parody of the same.
The viewing experience goes from 0 to "laborious," and never meaningfully improves; every one minute feels like two or three. Small, rare flits of wit can't begin to build any real entertainment. It's not until we hit the one-hour mark that the feature illustrates any imagination (including even shot composition) and the suggestion of "Barbarella meets Indiana Jones" bears fruit, but by then it's all but impossible to care. Even still, the back end of the runtime continues to be marked with the same problems that define the first hour - only now with even more gratuitous nudity that's not titillating, nor even aggravating, but instead just empty and tiresome. There were great, creative ideas here, but they could scarcely have been treated more poorly; there are also a lot of tawdry, dubious ideas here, and they could scarcely be more prominent. Any potential this may have had in fits and starts is practically sublimated, whether for flailing, unconvincing construction or sometimes just for the fact that every most far-flung idea is tossed together, overloading the senses. Had 'Gwendoline' been made with earnest care and careful consideration all the skill and intelligence that went into it would have meant something, and this would have been an enjoyable, ridiculous, surreal, exploitative, schlocky romp - more like 'Barberella' and 'Indiana Jones' further smashed together with 'Rocky Horror,' with visuals cobbling together 'The cell,' 'Krull,' and the climax of 'Roboman Hakaider.' As it stands, this barely manages to rise above "unwatchable."
There is value here. It sure seems like the picture actively endeavors at every turn to squander it. I'm glad for those who get something out of this and have a good time; I entered with high expectations of a silly lark, and instead I have a hard time refraining from saying that I outright hated it. I see what it could have been, but as it stands there are too many other, far more deserving ways of spending one's time, and 'The perils of Gwendoline in the land of the Yik-Yak' is best reserved as a curiosity examined in tiny, scattered bits and pieces, from a distance.
