The Mount of Venus

Familiar NYC porn cast flops mightily in Carter Stevens' THE MOUNT OF VENUS, an overwritten travesty purporting to be a XXX comedy.

Jamie Gillis stars as Jupiter, Roman god whose appellation of The Storm Bringer is meant to be hilarious as cheap on-SPFX lightning and thunder are interspersed with the narrative. The IMDb synopsis for this film, written by a notoriously untrustworthy shill, refers to Greek gods - I guess "you seen one god you seen 'em all" applies here.

The Roman gods including Juno (Georgina Spelivn, wasting her time), Venus (lovely Kim Pope) and Mercury (Eric Edwards in modified Keds) are assembled not on Greece's Mount Olympus but rather the title location, which in typical dumb-pun porno fashion is lifted from its true sexual meaning for mound of Venus. Otherwise, Stevens' collaborator screenwriter "Merry Seaman" shows off her pointless research at every turn, trying to use mythology as a springboard for porn humor - a fruitless effort.

Chief gimmick of Gillis appearing on Earth to have sex with various women in order to convert them into followers of his now-lapsed religion is very poorly executed by Stevens. His horribly chintzy sets, whether a cheap dorm room on Earth or wispy "clouds" up on the Mount, are matched by nonexistent SPFX. Gillis changing into other people or a bull is unconvincing and merely stupid, as is his pompous performance which Stevens has the temerity to roundly criticize in the DVD's interview bonus material. I wish the brain-dead interviewers for these now-mandatory extras would put some tough questions to the filmmakers, instead of consistently acting as their p.r. team.

Coup de grace is this atrocious film ending with a freeze frame of Jamie slipping a finger at the audience, summing up the filmmaker's condescending attitude eloquently. I would counter this to "Carter" -find me one good movie among your roster of '70s clunkers, leading up to the embarrassment of ending your career trotting out dozens of abysmal fetish videos with titles like ALL PAIN, NO GAIN and BENEATH MY HEELS.

Carter Stevens' "The Mount of Venus" is a bizarre, yet disappointingly unfunny, foray into the world of ancient deities and orgies. With a premise that sounds like a drunken bet between friends, the film fails to deliver on its promise of comedic XXX entertainment.

The story opens with a unique, if not absurd, setup: Jamie Gillis plays Jupiter, the Roman god, who wakes from his slumber on a cloud atop Mount Venus. He discovers Venus, played by Georgina Spelvin, and her companion Juno, engaged in a sexual act. Jupiter suggests an orgy, but the suggestion falls flat as Juno has run out of 'goodies'. The plot is thin and serves as a mere framework for the film's explicit content.

The production value is noticeably low, with cheap special effects that fail to impress. Interspersed lightning and thunder effects attempt to add drama, but instead come across as comical. The film's attempt at humor falls flat, and the overall execution feels overwrought and tries too hard to be clever.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. "The Mount of Venus" has a certain playful charm that is hard to ignore. The cast, though criticized as a familiar NYC porn ensemble, brings energy and commitment to their roles. The film is also visually appealing, with excellent picture quality and transfers in recent restorations. For fans of vintage adult cinema or Carter Stevens' unique brand of smut, this film offers a fun, light-hearted, and goofy experience.

Overall, "The Mount of Venus" is a strange entry into the world of adult cinema. While it has its moments of entertainment and a committed performance from its lead, the film ultimately fails to arouse or amuse, falling flat as a sex comedy.