Les 3 Fantastiques Supermen

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.

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)!

"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!

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.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Fantastic Three Supermen; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.50 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.75 out of 10.00

So The Fantastic Three Supermen is the first of the Italian "Supermen" movies I have watched. And it was good harmless entertaining fun.

The writers have taken the concept of Robin Hood, dropped the lincoln greens, the merry men and the bows and arrows to replace them with bulletproof red shirts and tights, with blue capes and the obligatory blue undercrackers on the outside. This dynamic duo don't require any extra help as they are skilled and trained gymnasts - okay, so they read more like Batman and Robin, so why the Robin Hood comparison? Well, this frenetic twosome like to steal from the rich and criminal, except instead of sharing their ill-gotten gains with the poor and needy, they like to keep the spoils. In this case, the "Heroes" get tricked by an FBI agent on the trail of a major criminal. He is pursuing a villainess mastermind who is running a counterfeiting ring. As we progress through the story, we learn that counterfeiting doesn't stop at money. The nefarious genius has developed a Universal Duplicating Machine, and the only thing it cannot duplicate perfectly are humans. Just imagine what could happen if the machine got into the wrong hands - A million President Trumps. With stories such as these, I usually find the narrative is pretty basic without much interest, apart from the action. And in the beginning, I had that impression. Thankfully, the writer adds extra twists into the tale, like the FBI agent taking off with the loot, leaving the two Supermen behind. This doublecross adds an extra depth to the story. The men in red have to clash with the FBI to get their hard-earned haul back. And by doing so, they learn of the agency's genuine interest in the felonious egghead. In all truth, the story is a cut above your usual bandwagon jumpers, which this appears to be - Batman the Movie - but it's not too ludicrous or unintentionally funny. The comedic element is interwoven throughout and helps lift the audience's spirits and give them a heartwarming feeling, as well as, put a smile on their face.

Gianfranco Parolini, who wrote the story, also directs the movie. Happily, for the viewers, he does a great job. He keeps all the scenes light and entertaining and is brilliant at getting the correct camera angles to hide the trampolines from sight. Everything is shot in perfect clarity and light, ideal for showing off the Supermen's ostentatious outfits and the terrific sets and scenery. He cuts quickly to amp up the excitement, though the movie already possesses a galloping pace.

You can guess that with a film like The Fantastic Three Supermen, no Shakesperian actors grace the screen. But they are all above average and do a decent job with their characters, especially Tony Kendall as Tony and Brad Harris as...Hhhmmm Brad! At least they couldn't miss their queues when their names were called. The only letdown was Aldo Canti as - you guessed it - Nick! Whereas Burt Ward had silly and awful dialogue to portray his feverish overeagerness, Canti's Nick is mute. So all his unrestrained fanaticism has to be visually shown while he lets out one of the most annoying whines ever recorded on a soundtrack. His movements and noise make Nick truly beyond belief.

But, even with Nick's absurd characteristics, The Fantastic Three Supermen is an enjoyable if slightly annoying watch. I happily recommend it to movie viewers worldwide who like this type of picture. It entertained me and made me smile. It even made me laugh a couple of times, so there's another factor in its favour. It's the kinda film you sit down to watch on a lazy afternoon when the sun is beating down too warmly, and the whole country takes a more leisurely approach to life.

Oh, darn it! Those damned temps have been using the Universal Duplicating Machine to replicate their... ...Oh well, forget that, it's time for you to check out my The Final Frontier and Holding Out For A Hero lists to see where I ranked The Fantastic Three Supermen.

Take Care & Stay Well.