Los fantásticos 3 supermán

I love 1960s-style martial arts action, and the only thing THE THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN lacks is the obligatory "hi-yah!" This amusing comedy combines elements of BATMAN, THE GREEN HORNET, Mexican wrestling movies and spy-capers. Much of the humor might have been funny back in Europe in the 1960s, but it came off as stupid or just plain odd when I watched the movie in America during the 1990s. Maybe they didn't have a budget to really develop the slapstick and satire into something honestly funny, or maybe the English dubbed version simply lost something in the translation.

Nick Jordan is particularly annoying as the mute superhero, a role given to Salvadore Borgese in follow-ups (ironically, Borgese only cameos at the beginning of THE THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN, as a bazooka-toting henchman). Jordan's superb acrobatic flips and mini-trampoline stunts really highlight the karate fights and help to elevate them above other martial arts of the period (i.e. THE AVENGERS & WILD WILD WEST). I dare say that as far as 1960s martial arts go, THE THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN's spats are second only to THE GREEN HORNET!

I won't go too much into the script; you'll just have to find this rare gem and see it yourself. For now, let's just say that FBI agents get their hands on these bullet-proof 'Superman' (why Marvel never sue'd them is beyond me!) outfits which turn common jewel thieves into acrobatic heroes! Some times our zany heroes are evading cops, some times they're thwarting a mad scientist and his 'human duplicating' machine, and sometimes they're just being silly. They're never boring though (that doesn't happen until the movie's many sequels came along)!

Tony, Brad, and Nick (Tony Kendall, Brad Harris, and Nick Jordan) are THE THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN!

Working for the FBI, the three red super-suited agents are out to stop an international counterfeiting scheme. A plot that could have catastrophic, global implications! With their remote-control car, non-lethal weapons, and endless acrobatic / karate abilities; they're sort of a trio of James Bond / Batman / Bruce Lee hybrids!

3FS goes out of its way to be ridiculous. Words like "silly" or "stupid" don't quite capture the imbecility on display here! Imagine if THE MONKEES had gotten together with THE BANANA SPLITS and decided to make a superhero movie, and you'll be close to grasping what's going on.

3FS also has the distinction of featuring one of the most annoying characters in movie history! Nick is a "mute", gibbering buffoon! He's a one-man torpedo barrage to the brainpan! Several, otherwise fun moments are annihilated by his inane chatter! Still, he fits right in, since this is mostly about half-witted humor, blaring music, explosions, machine guns, and pointless motion.

Anarchy as high art...

The 3 mains are rather fun and there is a lot of stuff turnabouting all around in this but it is done with farce-like tone, take that as you will.

"I fantastici 3 $upermen" has the topic "The Universal reproduction". My guess is that Mr. Gianfranco Parolini (aka Frank Kramer), with the duo Tony Kendall and Brad Harris, after filming "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill"(1966), in the absence of a serious scenario, just to have fun, they decided to reproduce "Batman: The Movie"(1966). The costumes and the car are "inspired" from there. They used even the tunnel from "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill". Maybe back in the '60s they had some fun, but today this attempt is not fun not even to the preschool age children. All the actors are pathetic. The whole thing is just a waste of time. Embarrassing!

THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN is the first in a long-running series of cheesy Italian superhero adventure films which borrow bits from BATMAN, the Bond series, and plenty more besides. They were part of a mini wave of films starring masked superheroes that came out around this time; other movies include THE FANTASTIC ARGOMAN and DANGER: DIABOLIK. I'd previously watched some of the sequels, but only now have got around to watching the first in the series.

And it's a lot of fun; one of those films that's difficult not to enjoy. THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN is a bright and breezy affair in which the hulking Brad Harris plays an FBI agent who meets two wacky caped crime fighters and decides to join up with them. Before long the trio are going after a mad scientist who is using his cloning machine to flood the market with fake currency. Harris is a hoot here, while Kendall is suave and frequently acrobatic; the mute Nick Jordan was a real-life gangster who was supposedly released from prison just to appear in this!

The film has an action packed narrative that never lets up. There are car chases, shoot outs, and lots of goofy fist fights clearly modelled on TV's BATMAN. The special effects are primitive but fun regardless, and I'll never get tired of that 'walking on the ceiling' gag. The bad guys are over the top and suitably imposing. The dubbing is poor and the lowbrow jokes frequently aimed at kids, but nonetheless THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN is a hoot.