Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy

I grew up in the San Antonio, Texas, area and watched a lot of Mexican wrestlers in person and on TV as a kid and I got hooked on the masked wrestlers movies. Even now, as I look back, I realize that the films were made cheaply with bad dialog and writing, but they still fascinated me. And this one is the cream of the crop in this admittedly strange film genre.

Produced as an homage to the wrestler films with tongue firmly in cheek, Jeff Uhlmann brought together an envious assortment of masked wrestlers including living legend Mil Mascaras as the hero to battle the nefarious Aztec Mummy (played by none other than Uhlmann himself). These films are meant to entertain and not vie for Oscars, so check your logic and high hats at the door.

An Aztec Mummy (who has been the nemesis in older masked wrestler films) is revived from a long sleep to continue his plan to rule the world. Mil and his band of wrestlers plus a professor and police captain line up to stop the evil doer. Mil plays the part with a blend of soft-spoken confidence and air of command that comes from years of dispatching bad guys who always seem to outnumber him tenfold. Even though you know the outcome in these good vs. evil plots, the joy is watching Mil and his cohorts pummel the hordes of bad guys.

The twist in this outing is that Uhlmann has managed to lend some respectability to the film by adding several known actors in cameo roles. Solid character actor Richard Lynch plays the US President and one of my favorites, P.J. Soles (Halloween), and Hall of Fame wrestler Harley Race show up at ringside in a match. There are Mayan temples, dancing Indian girls in loincloths, caped henchmen, a boss tomb room inside the temple and lots of suspended disbelief in this "Greatest film of its kind ever produced", according to the film's poster.

This film will attract people like me who already know the genre, but this film should satisfy the whim of anyone looking for some action-packed fun. Cheesy, yes. But if you don't take it too seriously and accept it for what it is, you just might enjoy it.

Fans of the old Mexican wrestling/horror films will get a kick out of this homage starring one of the greatest of the masked superheroes, Mil Mascaras. The Aztec Mummy, after being brought back to life by some plump acolytes, immediately launches into a plan to take over the world. But do not fear, Mil Mascaras, and an assortment of other masked Mexican grapplers, are here! There's more cheese in this picture than at the Velveeta factory, but it's all good. Veteran director Jeff Burr knows the material and manages to keep it breezy and fast moving. From the inane dialog to the illogical plotting to the low budget effects, this movie captures the feel of a near-forgotten, but much loved sub-sub genre.

During the 1950s-70s, the Mexicans churned out dozens and dozens of luchador films starring the likes of El Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras...among others. While I would never consider any of these good films, they are, in their own cheesy way, fun to watch because they don't even try to be sophisticated or anything other than silly fun.

Imagine my surprise when I found something unusual tonight...a luchador film with American and Mexican actors in this American-Mexican co-production. The Mexicans are mostly dubbed into English in the copy I saw.

The story is insane...but that's par for the course for a luchador movie. A weird Aztec cult has just awoken a mummy and this grumpy mummy now has plans on ruling the world. So, it's up to Mil Mascaras to stop him before the President of the United States (Richard Lynch) nukes Mexico to try to stop the mummy! But before Mil Mascaras can do this, he tells the President that he must fight a wrestling match (seriously).

The film is silly...period. There isn't a lot to recommend it other than its silliness...which it has in spades. Overall, a great film to watch with friends, as it will provide ample laughs.

Mil Mascaras still has charisma and looks great after all these years. The man has possibly the most recognizable rib cage in the Western World! This film is a love letter to the great Lucha classics of the Sixties and Seventies, and a fan's wish list come to life. Practically every scene is an homage to a trope from the classics. You get an Aztec Mummy, shambling Momias, wrestler vs monster scenes, plenty of ring action, sultry Aztec cult dancer, superhero wrestler HQ, some light bondage, blood and body-slams! And there are cameos from the modern legend legacy wrestlers like Hijo del Santo and Blue Demon Jr among others. You can keep your hyperactive CGI flash-cut action scenes! Give me a pack of masked wrestlers lumbering into battle with the Undead any day! The movie suffers a little from some loose editing and pacing issues. The acting ranges from quite good to, well, not so quite. I sometimes get the feeling that the screenplay looked perfect on paper, but the execution struggles to keep up with it in places. Still, the film never fails to entertain and is a heartfelt homage to a bygone classic genre, starring one of the greatest legends of that genre! How can you go wrong with that? I'm looking forward eagerly to more Lucha Cine action to come!