J-Men Forever

A bizarre villain, as well as a master of disguise, known as the Lightning Bug is planning to eliminate all easy listening and classical music to be replaced by whining banal rock. Its up to the J-Men and stock footage from Republic serials to save the day. The movie is hilarious, even if you never seen a serial in your life. The footage is intercut in the story flawlessly. The only setbacks are the actual filmed scenes and the fact that the film wasn't any longer. If your a serial fan though, this DVD is for you. Rating- 9.

PS- The extra includes an interview by Philip Proctor with George Wallace, lead in the 1952 serial Radar Men from the moon. Judging from the way the interview went, Proctor didn't have all of his facts straight entering the query.

A group of superheroes battle an evil warlord who is trying to enslave the world. Imaginative spoof of superhero films consists of original footage from 1930's, 40's and 50's RKO cinematic shorts spliced together and overdubbed with new script and sound track. (Rating: B+)

I know `J-Men Forever' was at one time available on video back in the mid-80's because I remember seeing it for rent in a video store. (The video store has long since gone out of business.)

The movie is a hoot. It is one of my fond memories of my early 30's. Sadly, now that the hipsters of the '70's have turned into their parents, a movie like `J-Men Forever' is probably now lost forever. You can bet your bottom dollar you won't see it on the USA cable network, or any other conglomerate-owned media outlet. Not that it's the least bit risqué, but it sends out the `wrong message' in our now more conservative times, if you know what I mean. It is all really unfortunate.

It made fun of superheroes, it made fun of science fiction, it made fun of movie making in general. It was even funny at times, but overall it was very unfunny. I saw this at a "midnight movie" sponsored by a rock radio station in the late 70s, early 80s. People kept making loud comments about how bad the movie was, getting up and walking out. By the time it was over, I was alone in the theater. Whether this is testament to my poor taste or just to my patience, I'm not sure. The best line? "Is that Leonard Nimoy?" (it was; a scene from "Plan 9 From Outer Space") "I dunno, I don't recognize him without the ears".

Note: No spoilers included. There's not enough of a plot to be spoiled!

"Now, ah, Drugs are bad, m'kay?" That's what the J-Men think, and Rock and Roll is just as evil. That's pretty much the plot of the movie. Doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it's more than the movie needs.

In this movie, a group of geniuses have taken a bunch of different old movies and serials, (Mystery Science Theater 3000 material) and spliced them to form one gigantic laugh. You see the original footage, but you hear a completely re-dubbed (and much funnier) dialog.