Black Scorpion

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this movie. I rented it with no idea what it was about and really was`nt expecting much. Joan Severance plays a detective who after her father is murdered and she is kicked off the force dons a costume and becomes the Black Scorpion, the protector of the City of Angels. Sounds very Batman, right? Well, it is and it gets even more so as the movie goes by. She has her Batmobile, a red corvette that has been equipped with all sorts of gadgets including the ability to re-form its molecules to change color and model. The villain is the Breathtaker who runs an organization called B.R.E.A.T.H...watch the movie to find out his origin and why he turned to crime. I admit that it`s campy and it`s hokey but if nothing else you get to see Joan nekkid....now that`s something you won`t see in a Batman movie...at least not up to this point.

I watched this movie as a teen and thought it was so bad (acting/story/characters) that it was actually great fun to watch. The black scorpion herself can get away with her super heroine/vigilante outfit but the main villain? His outfit was so poor lol! Overall a lot of good fun if you don't take it seriously!

A cop watches the city attorney shoot her father with no apparent motive. She's thrown off the force for police brutality after confronting him in his jail cell, and vows to continue fighting crime by donning a dominatrix outfit and becoming a vigilante superhero.

Given this premise, the film wisely doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes its many glaring shortcomings more forgivable. Statuesque Joan Severance is appropriately amazonian as the title character. There are plenty of fight scenes; also a bit of nudity courtesy of a strip bar and an all-too-brief sex scene with Scorpion in costume.

Overall this is only an average comedy/action/thriller, even by b-grade standards. However, if you're a) a fan of Severance, or b) looking for a video with some intentional and unintentional laughs, a bit of softcore action and some butt-kicking scenes -- you won't be disappointed. My rating: 6/10.

Black Scorpion is a fun flick about a groovy female super heroine who wears leather tights and drives a car that can morph into her snazzy armored Scorpion Mobile. She battles the evil Breathtaker and all of this is an excellent recipe for a good time IMHO. I loved the bit about her having to say "Yo" to get the car's computer to take orders! Breathtaker is so evil he wants to give the entire city asthma! It's all so over the top and that's the beauty of it! The scene where Black Scorpion "attacks" her partner steals the show. You'll know it when you see it. This DVD also has a fun interview with Joan Severance. She's a doll. Black Scorpion is a fun DVD. Loved it!

This movie will not be considered for an academy award, but if you enjoy a movie that doesn't take itself seriously and just wants the viewer to enjoy for ninety mins it is not a disappointment. You'll enjoy a send up of Darth Vader for the villain (the breather), a female Batman for the heroine (but much cuter with much less costume), and a running joke that involves cigarettes and the police captain that's very funny. Not by any means a great cinematic achievement. But if you enjoy campy fun it was worth a viewing. God help me, I liked it.