Superargo (1968)
[+]
(Foreign Titles)
Nomination Year: 2016
SYNOPSIS: Superargo, also
known as Superargo and the Faceless Giants, is the sequel
to my favorite Italian masked superhero wrestler film, Superargo
Against Diabolicus.
I suppose with such a highly-regarded (by me) film to live up to, a letdown was inevitable. But I wasn't expecting a letdown of such vast magnitude. Now I have a least favorite Italian masked superhero wrestler film.
The best word that I can think of to describe that second Superargo movie is lackluster. In many ways, it literally lacked the luster of the first. Superargo's attractive girlfriend Lidia? Nowhere to be found. His old military friend & confidante Colonel Kenton? Missing in action. Superargo's tormented psyche? Gone. Even the villain lacked the panache of Diabolicus.
Diabolicus ruled a secret tropical island hideaway from which he plotted to control the world's gold supply. The villain in this movie (whose normal name I don't even remember) had a base hidden off in the woods somewhere to keep the world from stumbling across his plan to turn world-class athletes into mindless "robots."
Superargo's amazing powers from the first movie? Not much in evidence here, except that he's able to hold his own against the Giant (they're not) Faceless (they're not) Robots (they're not) which can overpower everyone else.
The plot is stock. The characters aren't as interesting. Even the expository dialogue (e.g. "If my costume wasn't bulletproof, I'd be dead now," "Someone is turning cadavers into robots, and that person is almost certainly a scientist") is less interesting than in the first film.
It's not really even worth a rant. "This electronic gun will kill the giants. This could come in useful." Perhaps if the writers, the director, or anyone else involved with the first movie (except the actor playing Superargo) had returned, it would have been worth watching.
But at least Superargo has the ability to squeal tires on a dirt road. That's something.
I suppose with such a highly-regarded (by me) film to live up to, a letdown was inevitable. But I wasn't expecting a letdown of such vast magnitude. Now I have a least favorite Italian masked superhero wrestler film.
The best word that I can think of to describe that second Superargo movie is lackluster. In many ways, it literally lacked the luster of the first. Superargo's attractive girlfriend Lidia? Nowhere to be found. His old military friend & confidante Colonel Kenton? Missing in action. Superargo's tormented psyche? Gone. Even the villain lacked the panache of Diabolicus.
Diabolicus ruled a secret tropical island hideaway from which he plotted to control the world's gold supply. The villain in this movie (whose normal name I don't even remember) had a base hidden off in the woods somewhere to keep the world from stumbling across his plan to turn world-class athletes into mindless "robots."
Superargo's amazing powers from the first movie? Not much in evidence here, except that he's able to hold his own against the Giant (they're not) Faceless (they're not) Robots (they're not) which can overpower everyone else.
The plot is stock. The characters aren't as interesting. Even the expository dialogue (e.g. "If my costume wasn't bulletproof, I'd be dead now," "Someone is turning cadavers into robots, and that person is almost certainly a scientist") is less interesting than in the first film.
It's not really even worth a rant. "This electronic gun will kill the giants. This could come in useful." Perhaps if the writers, the director, or anyone else involved with the first movie (except the actor playing Superargo) had returned, it would have been worth watching.
But at least Superargo has the ability to squeal tires on a dirt road. That's something.
Kevin Hogan