Watched this for the first time since I was 5 or 6 last night and it pre-dates Carry On's golden age and is a bit boring to be honest, okay I was watching it at midnight, but I dozed through the third quarter and considering I was wide awake and laughing out loud through an episode of the IT crowd at 1am the movie has to take some of the blame! The film struggles because most the carry on team are missing! Bernard Cribbins is hog tied by a bad script with few laughs. Not even the usually watchable Keneth Williams can spark much interest. In fact the best moments come from Jim Dale's cameo right at the start of the movie. His hilariously OTT west-country accent and plain charisma steal the movie. No wonder he became the leading man a few years later! Coming from Plymouth I did enjoy the opening scenes. there is a great line about Plymouthians later in the film. Jim Dale does a generic west country accent rather than a proper Plymouthian "Janner" accent which would've been amazing, but he's still the best thing in the movie.To summarise, awful script, few laughs, few carry on stars, too long. Sadly, you can watch the first 15 minutes and then turn it off safe in the knowledge that you've seen the best bits and its going down hill from here... I've given it 2/10 rather than 1/10 for Jim Dale's cameo.If you are looking for Carry On movies at their hilarious best then, try Carry on Sergeant, Cowboy, Cleo, Up the Kyber and Screaming. Pure British comedy gold, Don't let this turkey colour your judgement of a wonderful comedy institution.

I do like the Carry On films in general, and while Jack is not the best, it is still amusing. I have to admit I do prefer Cleo, Screaming and Khyber, but I do think it is better than Columbus, England and Emmanuelle, which I consider the nadirs of the series. Jack does have its problems, it does have a thin story, some of the pacing isn't as secure as it could have been and I do miss Joan Sims, Sidney James and Hattie Jaques. However, the film looks great, great costumes and sets, and while never absolutely hilarious it is amusing enough. And the acting is fairly good, Charles Hawtrey almost steals the show, Kenneth Williams isn't given as much to do but he is good, Jim Dale's is small but he is hilarious, Juliet Mills is pleasant (and has a great derriere), while Bernard Cribbins is very likable. Overall, not outstanding but worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The first historical 'Carry On', this was shot cheaply using sets left over from Lewis Gilbert's nautical drama 'Damn The Defiant' ( 1962 ) which had starred Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. Bernard Cribbins makes his series debut as naive 'Albert Poop-Decker', who gets posted to the H.M.S. Venus, commanded by the sheepish 'Captain Fearless' ( Kenneth Williams ). The night before the ship is due to set sail, he heads for 'Dirty Dicks', a disreputable inn near the docks, where he meets the lovely 'Sally' ( Juliet Mills ). She knocks out him out, taking his place on the vessel as Midshipman. She is keen to go to sea and find the love of her life - Roger the lodger ( Peter Gilmore ). Also press ganged into joining the crew is cesspit cleaner Walter Sweetley ( Charles Hawtrey ). There's even a cow aboard ( though what they feed it on is never made clear )! Nobody believes Albert when he tells them who he is. He gets a taste of the lash for accidentally insulting the Captain's mother. While he struggles to prove his identity, the First Officer ( Donald Houston ) the Bosun ( Percy Herbert ) are plotting secretly to organise a mutiny...'Jack' looks great, and there are some amusing moments scattered about, such as Jim Dale and Ian Wilson as a pair of scoundrels who run a carrier service. When Poop-Decker sits in the box, his feet go straight through the floor, and he is made to run all the way to where he wants to go. They have the nerve to charge him fare too! Talbot Rothwell's script pokes fun at sea-faring yarns such as 'Mutiny On The Bounty' ( the Marlon Brando/Trevor Howard version was released the year before ) and 'Captain Horatio Hornblower' starring Gregory Peck. It does not really feel like a 'Carry On' though. This is mainly due to the lack of many of the cast. No Sid James, no Kenneth Connor, no Hattie Jacques, no Joan Sims, and no Liz Fraser. All we get are Williams, Hawtrey and Dale. The latter is especially underused. He should have been with the others on the ship. Juliet Mills had appeared in two other Peter Rogers/Gerald Thomas pictures - 'Twice Round The Daffodils' ( 1962 ) and 'Nurse On Wheels' ( 1963 ).The use of actors such as Donald Houston, Anton Rodgers, Cecil Parker, Patrick Cargill unfortunately negates the 'Carry On' atmosphere. But by comparison with 1992's 'Carry On Columbus' fiasco, 'Jack' is an unqualified comedy masterpiece.

As a fan of the entire Carry On .... series, I was always disposed to like this movie. True, it had few regulars, but the script allowed the cast to shine. Kenneth Williams gives his usual over-the-top performance as the anything-but-fearless Captain Fearless, Juliet Mills gives the most amusingly unconvincing impersonation of a man since Some Like It Hot, and Bernard Cribbins is great as the good-hearted, but woefully naive Albert Poopdecker. Charlie Hawtrey plays his usual character as well as ever, and all in all the plot once more becomes just the backdrop for all the gags, double entendre, and slapstick we all expect and love from the movies we know so well.