During the late '60s, the superhero genre was alive and well in Italy, a country which churned out instant classics like DANGER DIABOLIK, THE FANTASTIC ARGOMAN, and SUPERARGO VERSUS DIABOLICUS. Most of these films contained high elements of spoofery and could be considered half-comedies in themselves, a bizarre mix of Bondian spy adventure, Mexican wrestling movies, and camped-up lycra-wearing comic book characters like TV's BATMAN. One such film - 1967's THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN - was successful enough to spawn four sequels which were made well into the mid '80s. THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN IN THE JUNGLE is the third in the series and contains so much slapstick humour that it's an out and out comedy.
The plot lurches from one set piece to another, and the film as a whole is a perfectly good example of low-budget film-making working for once. For instance, it looks glossy and colourful, it's fun and exciting and action-packed, despite there being no special effects - other than some athletic stunt work - on show. Most of the action is played for laughs (such as the Supermen displaying their strength as the enemy use weapon after weapon against them, all of them useless) but the film is fast-paced and works anyway. All of the elements of a jungle-set superhero film are present, including the brightly-dressed heroes, numerous tribes, a gang of bad guys, and ropey-looking wildlife such as black widow spiders, crocodiles etc.
As a comedy, THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN IN THE JUNGLE hits the level of CARRY ON UP THE JUNGLE, or perhaps slightly lower. This is definitely a lame brained film which is fun purely for nostalgia reasons. Humour comes from bizarre situations, dumb Three Stooges-style japes and pranks and also (as to be expected from the time) a lot of fun is made of the minority groups - the jabbering, black-skinned natives who boil men in cooking pots; the tribe of loincloth-clad female Amazons who turn out to be subservient and looking for men for husbands; the Chinese, heck, even the Russians aren't spared as soldiers begin cossack-dancing in the middle of jungle clearings to celebrate their successes in a hilarious fashion. Yes, it's incredibly dated for its sexism and racism.
The supporting characters are mainly stereotypes, from the stuffy FBI bosses to the heavily-accented, slimy Russian bad guys. At least they're fun, if predictable. Brad Harris takes the lead (mainly due to his colossal physique) as the chief superman and is both likable and charismatic in his part - a strong turn from the former peplum titan. George Martin is the subdued 'straight man' of the trio, whilst Sal Borgese overplays it for laughs as a bumbling, idiotic mute. Despite some flaws this is an amusing, entertaining offering from crazy old Italy and by the looks of it, the rest of the series is well worth tracking down.
The plot lurches from one set piece to another, and the film as a whole is a perfectly good example of low-budget film-making working for once. For instance, it looks glossy and colourful, it's fun and exciting and action-packed, despite there being no special effects - other than some athletic stunt work - on show. Most of the action is played for laughs (such as the Supermen displaying their strength as the enemy use weapon after weapon against them, all of them useless) but the film is fast-paced and works anyway. All of the elements of a jungle-set superhero film are present, including the brightly-dressed heroes, numerous tribes, a gang of bad guys, and ropey-looking wildlife such as black widow spiders, crocodiles etc.
As a comedy, THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN IN THE JUNGLE hits the level of CARRY ON UP THE JUNGLE, or perhaps slightly lower. This is definitely a lame brained film which is fun purely for nostalgia reasons. Humour comes from bizarre situations, dumb Three Stooges-style japes and pranks and also (as to be expected from the time) a lot of fun is made of the minority groups - the jabbering, black-skinned natives who boil men in cooking pots; the tribe of loincloth-clad female Amazons who turn out to be subservient and looking for men for husbands; the Chinese, heck, even the Russians aren't spared as soldiers begin cossack-dancing in the middle of jungle clearings to celebrate their successes in a hilarious fashion. Yes, it's incredibly dated for its sexism and racism.
The supporting characters are mainly stereotypes, from the stuffy FBI bosses to the heavily-accented, slimy Russian bad guys. At least they're fun, if predictable. Brad Harris takes the lead (mainly due to his colossal physique) as the chief superman and is both likable and charismatic in his part - a strong turn from the former peplum titan. George Martin is the subdued 'straight man' of the trio, whilst Sal Borgese overplays it for laughs as a bumbling, idiotic mute. Despite some flaws this is an amusing, entertaining offering from crazy old Italy and by the looks of it, the rest of the series is well worth tracking down.