The Return Of Captain Invincible

You certainly can’t accuse director Philippe Mora of not taking risks. After wrestling egos with Dennis Hopper on Mad Dog Morgan and twisting flesh in The Beast Within he decided to make spoof superhero film years before comic books adaptations were cool again. The film begins with a fabulous newsreel-style account of the history of Captain Invincible before we join him in the gutters of Sydney, bottle in hand, trying to drink his way into oblivion. This is a superhero who is fed up with his lot and has done with saving lives.

Alan Arkin does a fair job in the thankless role of the titular hero. He has fun with the film’s many slapstick moments, especially during the scene where he is attacked by a room of possessed vacuum cleaners although he falters during the film’s few emotive moments. The problem is less with Arkin and more with the film, however, its tone being all over the place. One moment it’s a satire, then a slapstick comedy and then we’re poking fun at alcoholism. Christopher Lee looks awkward as Mr Midnight, especially when talking to his poorly made-up sidekick. He sings, however, with aplomb during his musical numbers and Lee always adds a level of gravitas to any role he plays, except maybe for his next film for the director, Mora’s The Howling 2: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch, certainly the nadir of his career.

Not that The Return of Captain Invincible doesn’t have its moments. You can’t help but get a kick out of seeing Captain Invincible flying through the air soaring past the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as he speeds over Sydney, even if the back projected FX are not in the least convincing. The FX overall are average but Mora is going for parody rather than blowing our minds with over the top visuals. You certainly won’t believe a man can fly. You also will be hard pushed to believe anyone in the movie can sing. The musical numbers are atrocious, poorly staged and not particularly memorable. If you compare this film to Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors; a film that also combined genre attitude with musical numbers there is no contest. Just contrast Suddenly Seymour to any of the dire numbers here. Saying all this you still have to admire Mora’s bravery, to even try to attempt to make a musical superhero film on this low a budget. For all it’s miscalculations there is a sense of fun that makes the Captain's return just about worthwhile.

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