Invencibles Invisibles

Just as good as its predecessor, perhaps even slightly better in moments.

All in all I narrowly prefer 'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes', but 'Now You See Him, Now You Don't' most certainly still produces solid fun. Everything revolves around invisibility this time, the stuff that Dexter & Co. get up to is suitably entertaining.

Kurt Russell reprises the role of Dexter, again positively - no surprise he went on to become such a well known star. Cesar Romero is also good for a second film running, as Arlo. Joe Flynn gets a bigger part as Higgins this time, he's definitely better in this production.

For the majority I felt it was superior to the 1969 original, but the third act drags ever so slightly to the point it brings it back down on a similar footing. Still, this is Disney's best live-action sequel up until this point - way more enjoyable than 'Son of Flubber' or 'Savage Sam', among others.

Can they make it a hat-trick of fine films with the other sequel in 'The Strongest Man in the World'? Hope so!

The second of the "Dexter Riley" Disney feature film vehicles for Kurt Russell, this is good, amiable, goofy fun. Sure, it's not exactly "great cinema", but it sure as Hell isn't trying to be. It follows its formula to a tee while serving up a respectable amount of decent invisibility effects and engaging laughs.

This time, Kurts' Dexter Riley is in a science class, and by accident he manages to perfect an invisibility spray. The problem is, of course, that master criminal A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero) finds out all about it, and figures to exploit the spray for his own ends. Dexter and his friends (chief among them, Michael McGreevey as Richard Schuyler and Joyce Menges as Debbie Dawson) must work overtime to both give their grumpy dean (Joe Flynn, who's in very fine form) an assist, and ultimately foil bad guy Arno.

"Now You See Him, Now You Don't" is great fun for anybody looking for a lively campus comedy. As said before, the special effects are pretty decent, and director Robert Butler maintains a reasonable pace. (Things go along kind of deliberately until the typical, manic Disney finale where the studio pulls out all the stops.) Kurt is a joy in this recurring role of Dexter, who may not be a top student, but has the personality of a hero and a definite charisma. Romero is fun as usual as the bad guy; other reliable and familiar actors in supporting roles include Jim Backus, William Windom, Richard Bakalyan, Alan Hewitt, Kelly Thordsen, Kurt's dad Bing in the small role of Alfred, George O'Hanlon, John Myhers, Edward Andrews, and Ed Begley, Jr. Legendary and extremely prolific voice-over artist Frank Welker has one of his early career, on-screen roles as one of Dexters' many associates.

If you're a fan of Kurt, or any live-action Disney from this period, this is guaranteed to deliver some agreeable entertainment.

Followed by "The Strongest Man in the World".

Seven out of 10.

College dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is trying to cut the chemistry department budget. He dismisses all the science being done by the students. A lightning strike hits the lab. The next day, Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) checks the damaged experiments and discovers an invisibility liquid. He shows his friends Richard Schuyler and Debbie Dawson. Crooked investor A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero) has bought up the college's mortgage. The Dean is clueless but the three friends suspect Arno has nefarious motives.

This is the second of the Dexter Riley movies from Disney. It is charming family fun. There is an endearing innocence about these movies. Baby-faced Kurt Russell is great. I also love the pre-CGI special effects. As a kid, I was engrossed by them. As an adult, I am enchanted by them. The story is silly but that's also part of the charm.

Kurt Russell and his gang of college buddies return three years later in Now You See Him, Now You Don't. Just as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was deliciously '60s, this one is deliciously '70s. The haircuts, the clothes, the music are all different in just three years - but that's college life for you! This time at Medford College, the science department is still underfunded and Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is still incompetent. Kurt and his pals invent an invisibility spray solution, and they hope to impress Jim Backus, the head of the science contest, into giving them the grant money.

Even though he's supposed to be safely locked in jail from the end of the first movie, A. J. Arno (Cesar Romero) is back and ready to thwart Kurt's plans. But when you're trying to steal things you can't see from people you can't see, it's pretty tough. It's also pretty funny. It's a Disney movie with nothing bad happening from start to finish, so it's safe and fun for the whole family. It's also less dated than the original, since invisibility still hasn't been invented (even though computers have been) yet.

This is a 1972 Disney movie. For the time, I was eleven years old and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Feeling nostalgic, I purchased the three series DVD's of the Dexter Riley movies and even now, at age 46, I still enjoyed them. It was all about fantasy, magic, and clean fun. And it still is! I wasn't sure which of the three movies came first then second and last. So now I have the official dates. On December 31, 1969 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes--On July 12, 1972 Now You See Him Now You Don't--On February 6, 1975 The Strongest Man In The World. I still think the middle movie was the best. The special effects were amazing back in 1972 to us kids. I definitely recommend it to all ages.