Some stupid Indian death cult (which, oddly, is made up of folks who don't look the least bit Indian--such as Leo McKern) insists on killing Ringo because, somehow, he's wearing some sacred ring that is worn by folks who MUST be sacrificed. So, through much of the film, the cult members randomly appear and try a variety of cartoony ways to either kill Ringo or cut off his fingers. In addition, an insane scientist and his minion have decided that they MUST have the ring and also try many cartoon-like ways to kill Ringo or tear off the ring.

In the 1960s, The Beatles were a hot, hot commodity. So hot that even though they had no acting ability whatsoever, it didn't bother the movie studio--they would just shoot around this! And, in light of this, you can understand how, according to the IMDb trivia, the Beatles felt like extras in "Help!"! In other words, through much of the films, the Fab Four perform a variety of nice songs and in the rest of the movie they just seem to stand around and have all the actors act around them! Certainly it's no great artistic masterpiece (though die-hard Beatle fans STILL insist it is!),but there is a quirky weirdness that makes it a film that is difficult to hate because it's filled with so many ludicrous sight gags (some of which actually work). Plus, it's hard to find a soundtrack more enjoyable than the one in this film--as it's packed with hit after hit by the boys (such "Ticket to Ride", "A Hard Day's Night", "You're Gonna Lose That Girl" and, of course, "Help!". So, if you are looking for a coherent script, decent acting or a chance to see who the Beatles REALLY were, then you probably won't be particularly satisfied. Overall, I'd say that if you were alive when The Beatles were a band, then you'll be more likely to enjoy this. If you are younger, then you're likely to think your parents were nuts for enjoying this sort of goof-ball movie! Final verdict--kind of dumb but likable.

Some cute moments to look for: when Paul is shrunk, the crowd singing "Ode to Joy" (and knowing all the words in German),the swimmer and the cult leader winning a ski jumping medal.

Also, while I'd NEVER encourage drug use, my assumption is that this would improve your enjoyment of this film tremendously.

After the success of the low budget A Hard Day's Night with its classic soundtrack that after over 40 years is still a best selling item, the more expensive Help was made for the Beatles. The Fab Four even got to do a little location shooting in the Bahamas and in Salzburg, Austria for the skiing sequence.

Ringo Starr so named for his well known passion for rings has got himself quite the ruby bauble. It's been noticed by some Eastern cult headed by Leo McKern and these guys ain't kidding about what it takes to get it. The one who wears the ring has to be a human sacrifice.

So when all kinds of strange people start going after our page boy teen idols, it's one merry anarchistic chase all over the United Kingdom and other parts of the globe.

Leo McKern and such other British character actors like Alfie Bass, Victor Spinetti, and Patrick Cargill get it on the fun. Eleanor Bron plays a fifth columnist in McKern's camp looks to help the Beatles because she's one of several million fans they have across the globe and she really does like the drummer with the honker.

Like it's predecessor Help's soundtrack is still selling in the gazillions because it has several John Lennon-Paul McCartney songs still popular like A Ticket To Ride, You're Gonna Lose That Girl, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away and the title song.

Also like it's predecessor it paved the way for the venue of the music video which today's musical artist seem to prefer more than records on which you can hear them. It boggles the mind when you think of who could have been captured performing if that technology had been available for more than 100 years more.

So if your ticket to ride is punched, relax and enjoy.

I hadn't watched this film for a long time, probably twenty years. Like so much of that 60's comedy stuff, it doesn't wear too well. Oh, the songs are great, and it's wonderful to see them performed when the boys were at their youthful, disrespectful best. I'd forgotten the mumbling banter that goes on in both this and "A Hard Day's Night." There are throwaway comments all the time. The plot is pretty silly and there are some good lines. I think the bad guys are what make it lacking for me. I got sick of those people showing up all the time. I didn't think they were that funny. I realize they were just cannon fodder for the Beatles and society in general. But this a sort of Marx Brothers kind of comedy, and you need the "bad guys" to be more interesting. Still, the Beatles had real charisma. I enjoyed hearing some of their lesser known songs in addition to some of the chart toppers. Some of the scenes look a bit cheap. I did enjoy the skiing thing, George in his cape and top hat, but the chuckles were really few and far between. I remember, even as a high school kid, saying to my friends, "That first movie was a lot better than this one." I didn't know why, exactly, but I still tend to agree.