Odd ball superhero film is rather dull. The premise is that Fenominal (as its spelled everywhere but on the DVD case) is out to prevent the theft of Egyptian treasures. Fenominal is a guy in black wearing an eyeless black stocking over his head. Its makes no sense to me either. After an opening sequence on a boat the film shifts to Paris where a robbery occurs and our hero disappears for over a half an hour. What happens at that point isn't really that interesting and more prone to induce sleep as the film seems to want to be a crime drama but has a masked hero shoe horned in. Worth a look only for those who need to see every Euro superhero film.
6 Reviews
Phenomenally incoherent
gridoon202417 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
"Phenomenal And The Treasure Of Tutankamen" starts with a bang: the title character disposes of a boatful of drug runners with his swift martial arts moves. His full black body suit has one strange impracticality, though - erm, no eyeholes! - but I guess with your hero's face fully hidden it's easier to replace him with a trained stuntman during the more physically demanding scenes and nobody will know the difference. But there is another reason "Phenomenal" keeps his face so completely hidden: the movie doesn't want us to know who he (or she) is until the last 5 minutes! This could have been a killer gimmick if it was treated seriously, but the film's "plot" is so random and lacking in logic that ultimately it doesn't matter who Phenomenal is - it could have been Ruggero Deodato himself and the film wouldn't make any less sense.Of course it's clear that you're not supposed to take any of this seriously, but instead of being wacky fun this film is mostly a tough slog. Redeeming virtues: Lucretia Love, and Bruno Nicolai's supercool music score, which keeps the film going during some painfully slow parts. *1/2 out of 4.
Hideous 60's superhero euro-trash!
Serpent-522 April 2000
With an international cast and Deodato directing this 1967 superhero film it can't possibly go wrong, but it did! The superhero is a laughing dude with wool stocking over his head (I don't know how he could see-thru with a holeless mask!). He laughs like Diabolik, and on the video box, he looks like Superargo, but in reality he comes off as a cat burglar! Bulk of the film consist of not our crime fighter but rather the thieves double crossing each other and killing each other over some king tut mask then our hero solving the crime. Fenomenal appears in the beginning scene (pre credit) battle some drug runners, as that really grabbed my attention more than DIABOLIK's pre-credit sequence, only for him to not appear for more than 30 minutes!! The movie runs so slow that it almost put me to sleep. Catchy pop tune helps, but the fight sequence is lame (save for the pre-credit fight scene). One of the worst ending you'll ever see in a 60's retro-italian film. Look for the late action star Maruzio Melli in a small part. Not recommeneded. Very disapponted.
Oh well...
BandSAboutMovies7 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by "Monsieur Cannibal" Ruggero Deodato under the name of Roger Rockfeller, this is a movie that even its director admits that he "didn't give a shit about the film." Deodato went on to claim that the producer and star of this film, Nicola Mauro Parenti, was "too stiff, a dog of an actor; I treated him like shit on the set, but then he called me again for Zenabel." This was also his first directing job.
This is a fumetti movie not based on any existing character, but obviously in the same world as Kriminal and Danger: Diabolik. Unlike those movies, Phenomenal is the hero and he's going up against Gordon Mitchell and his gang to keep the treasures of Egypt - the title does not lie - safe. There's a lot of sitting around and talking where there should be action, but one look at the hero's costume - a turtleneck and a stocking mask - shows you how inspired this was. Look - not everyone can do Eurospy or comic book action adventure.
That said, the Bruno Nicoli score is quite nice and it's never a bad thing to spend 90 minutes with Lucretia Love, who was also in The Killer Reserved Nine Seats, Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype and Enter the Devil.
This is a fumetti movie not based on any existing character, but obviously in the same world as Kriminal and Danger: Diabolik. Unlike those movies, Phenomenal is the hero and he's going up against Gordon Mitchell and his gang to keep the treasures of Egypt - the title does not lie - safe. There's a lot of sitting around and talking where there should be action, but one look at the hero's costume - a turtleneck and a stocking mask - shows you how inspired this was. Look - not everyone can do Eurospy or comic book action adventure.
That said, the Bruno Nicoli score is quite nice and it's never a bad thing to spend 90 minutes with Lucretia Love, who was also in The Killer Reserved Nine Seats, Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype and Enter the Devil.
This film cries out for a DVD release
perryder10 December 2006
Some movies are forgotten. I cannot tell you enough how this little gem needs the spotlight. Find it, see it, rave on about it. Phenomenal is cut from the same cloth as Italy's Diabolik. I mean literally. Same-ish mask, same laugh, black clothes, makes fun of the cops, etc. You sort of get a sense of who is behind the eyeless mask wayyyy in the beginning, but who the heck cares? There are thugs, treasures, scantily clad women; this was the sixties, and it was all about the world travel and tiny cars. I rented this on VHS back in the 90's and recently found a keeper copy on eBay. If I put this on my alter for several years, it may pop up on DVD, as Diabolik finally did! If you are a fan of Batman, Bond, Diabolik, Flint, Captain Kirk, please find and enjoy!
Fenomenal "The Fenom" - The Italian Batman.
P3n-E-W1s314 June 2022
Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Fenomenal And The Treasure Of Tutankamen; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00
Okay, to get my controversial comment out of the way Fenomenal 68 is better than Batman 66. Fenominal is how Batman should have been played and not with the manic campness that everybody loved and fondly remembers - myself included.
The writers chose to go down a more realistic avenue with their superhero, who is a millionaire, though not a playboy, and has a butler called...yep, you guessed it, Alfred. There are no super villains. The black hats in this action thriller are your exceptional geniuses who possess an inclination toward making easy money. In this case, it's the solid gold mask of King Tut. What engaged me was the amount of detail and twists intertwined in the narrative. The king's headpiece gets about more than a ten-dollar prostitute. It's like the playing card con of Chasing The Queen. You're never sure who holds the genuine mask and who the fake. It's a crime to test the world's greatest detective - Fenomenal. Another element I enjoyed was the lack of a costume. The Fenom doesn't wear a cape and cowl. He's dressed entirely in black - even his mask fully covers his face. It's reminiscent of Year-One Batman when Bruce was starting out.
The direction isn't extraordinary, but it surprisingly works well. Ruggero Deodato uses sharp cutting to speed up the tempo and add excitement to the fight scenes. And, when required, he slows it down a smidgen from a trot to a walk to build the tension. I would have delighted in a few more unconventional camera angles. The fight scene on the yacht could have benefitted from them. They would have helped to add extra interest to the audience.
The cast is okay. The performers are above-average in their portrayals, though I wouldn't have minded a tad more characterisation as they all appear a bit bland. It would have been good to see more greed, additional worry and panic, increased irritation, and greater joy.
Fenominal is a pleasure to watch: It's light and easy. There are also unintentional funny moments, such as the yacht fight at the opening. We are on board a small vessel, though it doesn't matter how many henchmen The Fenom hits, kicks, and throws overboard, they just keep coming. It's like a clown car at sea. I loved it. As I did the martial arts fight sequences. Once again, they are not brilliant, but they are entertaining. Because of such, I'd recommend Fenomenal And The Treasure Of Tutankamen for your viewing pleasure, if it is only once.
Now take off that daft King Tut mask and investigate my The Game Is Afoot, Holding Out For A Hero and Guilty Pleasures lists to see where I ranked Fenomenal And The Treasure Of Tutankamen.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00
Okay, to get my controversial comment out of the way Fenomenal 68 is better than Batman 66. Fenominal is how Batman should have been played and not with the manic campness that everybody loved and fondly remembers - myself included.
The writers chose to go down a more realistic avenue with their superhero, who is a millionaire, though not a playboy, and has a butler called...yep, you guessed it, Alfred. There are no super villains. The black hats in this action thriller are your exceptional geniuses who possess an inclination toward making easy money. In this case, it's the solid gold mask of King Tut. What engaged me was the amount of detail and twists intertwined in the narrative. The king's headpiece gets about more than a ten-dollar prostitute. It's like the playing card con of Chasing The Queen. You're never sure who holds the genuine mask and who the fake. It's a crime to test the world's greatest detective - Fenomenal. Another element I enjoyed was the lack of a costume. The Fenom doesn't wear a cape and cowl. He's dressed entirely in black - even his mask fully covers his face. It's reminiscent of Year-One Batman when Bruce was starting out.
The direction isn't extraordinary, but it surprisingly works well. Ruggero Deodato uses sharp cutting to speed up the tempo and add excitement to the fight scenes. And, when required, he slows it down a smidgen from a trot to a walk to build the tension. I would have delighted in a few more unconventional camera angles. The fight scene on the yacht could have benefitted from them. They would have helped to add extra interest to the audience.
The cast is okay. The performers are above-average in their portrayals, though I wouldn't have minded a tad more characterisation as they all appear a bit bland. It would have been good to see more greed, additional worry and panic, increased irritation, and greater joy.
Fenominal is a pleasure to watch: It's light and easy. There are also unintentional funny moments, such as the yacht fight at the opening. We are on board a small vessel, though it doesn't matter how many henchmen The Fenom hits, kicks, and throws overboard, they just keep coming. It's like a clown car at sea. I loved it. As I did the martial arts fight sequences. Once again, they are not brilliant, but they are entertaining. Because of such, I'd recommend Fenomenal And The Treasure Of Tutankamen for your viewing pleasure, if it is only once.
Now take off that daft King Tut mask and investigate my The Game Is Afoot, Holding Out For A Hero and Guilty Pleasures lists to see where I ranked Fenomenal And The Treasure Of Tutankamen.
Take Care & Stay Well.
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