From the start, The Beatles second movie, Help!, is wildly different from their initial offering, A Hard Day’s Night. It’s from the same director, Richard Lester, and John, Paul, George, and Ringo star in this full-color, wild and crazy farce. The basic plot of Help! is the group struggling to record their new album while trying to protect Ringo from a sinister cult and a pair of mad scientists, all of whom are obsessed with obtaining a ring.
It seems Ringo is the proud owner of a sacred giant ruby ring, but it’s never really explained how? He’s stalked by a fanatical religious cult, who must sacrifice any human wearing the ring. They pursue the Beatles for most of the movie, setting bizarre traps in the Fab Four’s gimmicky high-tech mansion, and even attacking them at “safe” havens like the Police Constable’s office and Buckingham Palace. Since the uncanny ring refuses to come off Ringo’s finger, the lads consult a mad scientist. What do you know? He starts chasing Ringo as...