Mighty Jack

Well, maybe not, but my oh my, isn't Mighty Jack getting a bad press! The simple fact is, the "movie" (it's nothing of the sort) has been soooo hacked about from its TV origins it's all you can do but sit back and either turn it off or enjoy the ride. See above for the basic outline of "plot" proceedings but, yes, it's pure trash. But here's why I like this video: the Gerry Anderson style models and effects. Along with so many otherwise disposal Jap flicks, this one is festooned with tasty technology and nifty effects that the script (and acting) is frankly not worthy to be seen with. Like Anderson, this film fetishises the Skydiver-alike Mighty Jack with repeated, dare I say lingering shots of it's various functions and ticks. OK, this kind of stuff only suffices for a distraction but if you enjoyed Derek Meddings water/model effects in "UFO" or you're a model nut, this is worth a look. Just a quick one, mind.

Imagine going on the teacups ride at Disneyworld spinning round and round. Remember that feeling when you stepped off the ride? Well, who needs teacups when there's Mighty Jack!

I cannot even attempt to explain what this was about. There is the good guys who battle "Q" the evil organization whose leader looks like the japanese version of Blowfeld. The film includes rescuing a guy named Nintendo...I mean, Atari, escaping many traps, survive double crosses left and right, use of special effects from Kay-Bee, a huge iceberg, and no plot to be found anywhere. Even after 3 viewings, I could find no answers. Just headaches.

Apparently edited down from a Japanese TV series, "Mighty Jack" looks more like several completely unrelated spy films chopped up and reedited randomly. The plot, if it can be said to have one, is an exercise in incoherence. A plot synopsis is impossible for this film, *none* of it makes sense. What an endurance test this film is, anyone who makes it all the way to the end deserves some sort of medal.

I've owned a VHS copy of this film for more than 25 years and no matter how wasted I get i can never reach past 10 minutes in any single viewing. This film is utterly incoherent. Even accepting the cultural nuances of 1960's Japanese narrative when experienced with 'Westen' expectation, it evades any grip of comprehension. The tin-pot, Special effects are remarkable in their lack of charm and no acting performance warrants the payment of even a kind word. The IMDb rating of more than 1 out of 10 can only be due to cast and crew voting as even their families could not have summoned such generosity. This extraordinary collection of images and sounds is so unwatchable that it is always my trump-card to the question: "Worst Film Ever Made?"

That was my thought-process during the entire movie.

It looked like some sort of spy movie... and there was a plane coming out of the ocean, I think... and a Japanese guy declaring his heart had always been German... oh, and a supergroup named Mighty Jack, led by a Japanese JFK lookalike.

But lordy, I never EVER understand WHAT was going on. The entire "movie", which was coddled from a Japanese TV series, had all the logic of a fever dream.

Even now, I couldn't tell you what I thought was happening, or even who was who, since the good guys and bad guys were indistinguishable.

God, what a bad film.