Review: The Return Of Captain Invincible
DVD: The Return Of Captain Invincible (1983)
WWII superhero Captain Invincible (Alan Arkin) is adored by the American public for his heroics in battling the Nazis. This changes rapidly not long after the war, when he is wrongly accused of supporting the communist party and being ‘un-American’. With his reputation in tatters he retires to Australia, only to be called to arms once again when his nemesis Mr.Midnight (Christopher Lee) steals a U.S. government super weapon and threatens the safety of the planet. Can Captain Invincible redeem himself and save the world from destruction? His task is made even more difficult seeing that he has ‘let himself go’ since leaving America and is now an overweight alcoholic, who has also forgotten how to fly!
The Return Of Captain Invincible is definitely a movie that warrants repeat viewing. There is always so much going on in the background that is easily missed on an initial watch, and you also need to run it past your eyes again as you won’t believe what you saw the first time. This film is absolutely bonkers…in a good way.
It’s a rock/opera/parody/superhero movie that consistently had my jaw dropping to the floor like a cartoon character as I saw things become ever more crazy and absurd. There is never a long period to wait before someone unexpectedly bursts into song, and the 2 Christopher Lee song and dance routines are worth the purchase price alone. Don’t even get me started on when the President of the U.S.A. suddenly starts singing a song that contains just the single lyric of “Bullshit!“…I have to get that on my phone as a ringtone!
Admittedly there are parts where the movie begins to plod along a little too slowly, the acting is average across the board, and the low budget does mean that sets occasionally wobble and the visual effects would never rival any superhero movie of the time, but these limitations only added to my enjoyment of the movie. When Captain Invincible finally does learn how to fly again (no spoilers there, surely you KNEW that was going to happen!?) the cheesy effect of him flying over the water as he desperately tries to get higher in the sky, only served to increase my laughter at the scene.
If the The Rocky Horror Picture Show still has you dressing up in stockings whenever you watch it, you’d better start making a cape for when you inevitably get hooked on this.
The Return Of Captain Invincible is the superhero movie you never knew that you wanted to watch.
Review by Dave (host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Umbrella Entertainment.
