User reviews

Being a superhero flick made by Walt Disney Productions, one couldn’t expect the violent thrills associated with the genre – but, then, neither was it the kiddie-oriented fare I was dreading. In fact, it’s more espionage stuff (the narrative occurs in a variety of European locations) in clear imitation of the James Bond extravaganzas, complete with multi-purpose car, than outright fantasy (the hero is a mild-mannered cartoonist and the “Condorman” outfit emerges to be decidedly quaint, getting very little mileage into the bargain!).

Still, it’s engaging and pleasant-looking for what it is – though the simplistic “Condorman” theme wouldn’t rank among famed composer Henry Mancini’s most memorable pieces. The cast enters gleefully into the absurd spirit of the thing: Michael Crawford as the unlikely hero; Barbara Carrera as a luscious defecting Russian agent (she would eventually feature in the “Odd Bond Out” of that series i.e. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN [1983]); Oliver Reed, a bit glum but at least non-hammy as the chief villain; James Hampton as Crawford’s C.I.A. agent pal; Jean-Pierre Kalfon as Reed’s top henchman, a one-eyed menace; and Dana Elcar as the C.I.A. operative who unwittingly puts “Condorman” on the map.

Typically, we get a number of disguises (at one point, both Crawford and Hampton don the garbs of Arab sheiks!), chases (on land and sea) and stunts (directed by the ubiquitous Remy Julienne) – not to mention romance (Crawford, of course, falls for Carrera and models his fictional “Laser Lady” character on her!). Incidentally, while we’re obviously not treated to an action prologue here like in the Bond films, we’re given an animated sequence instead – which is a nice way of acknowledging the film’s comic-strip aspect. Finally, I wouldn’t say that CONDORMAN is hilarious…but it does contain one good in-joke – a crack by Hampton that “not everyone in the C.I.A. is Robert Redford”, clearly a reference (and a very apt one given the title!) to that star’s own espionage venture THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975).

Think of Batman meets Inspector gadget!

Even for '81 this movie can bring you along for thrill ride. Beautiful women, neat gadgets and one of the best car chases. The main musical theme is easy to remember and consist of a one word lyric "CONDORMAN!". Yet "Condorman" is so ignorant that he doesn't realize the peril he puts himself into. He's a cartoonist for goodness sake!

Wonderfully cheezy in today's standards!

This film reminds me of the first 'flick' our entire family went to see. Oh and the last. Condorman will only be a good film for those who remember times gone by. This is a very watchable family film but don't expect major laughs, especially with Michael Crawford's (Ooooh Betty) poor American accent. This was Disneys alternative to Superman with a splash of James Bond, and quite simply it was anything but. Please watch it so you can see how much storyboards, acting and special effects have progressed. If you like Porsche's chasing a gypsy waggon, then this is for you. If you are going to analyse this film for its kit-ch humour, and the directors/studio's desperation to get a film out for Summer, don't bother, however it is a way of introducing a spy film to your 3 year old.

Of course there was no doubt about me sitting down to watch the 1981 movie "Condorman" again here in 2023, as I happened to get a chance to do so. I remember having seen the movie back in the early 1980s, but must confess that I have entirely forgotten about the storyline. And thus, of course, I sat down to watch it again.

The storyline in "Condorman", as written by Marc Stirdivant, Robert Sheckley and Mickey Rose, is a well-written and entertaining one. It is a good script that includes elements of the superhero genre and spy genre, while sprucing it up with some light comedy and that good old fashioned Disney element from their movies back in the 1980s. It is a storyline that is easy to get submerged into, and it made for quite an entertaining ride throughout the 90 minutes that the movie ran for.

The acting performances in "Condorman" are good, and leading actor Michael Crawford carried the movie phenomenally well. The movie also have other familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera, James Hampton and Vernon Dobtcheff.

There is a good amount of action throughout the course of the movie, including a really nice car chase and an equally nice boat chase scene.

For a movie made in 1981, I have to say that the effects are actually fairly good still. They add a certain charm to the movie and are pulled off quite nicely.

"Condorman", from director Charles Jarrott, is quite worth sitting down to watch, despite it being a somewhat old movie.

My rating of "Condorman" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

'Condorman' isn't in the same league as other of my childhood favourites, and while nostalgia is one thing when revisiting a film, sometimes you realised that the charm would have worn off if you re-watched in your teenage years. Simply put, 'Condorman' is an okay film that is essentially for children and it's a lot better than revisiting 'Howard the Duck'. There was some decent car-chase sequences involving a one-eyed henchman in a bike helmet inside fast Porsches, and some fun comedic where Michael Crawford got to showcase his timing, and I really liked the performance by James Hampton as Woody's sidekick. Oliver Reed was okay as the villain and Barbara Carrera was good as the love interest. The bad was that awful score from one of the greats, and some of the exposition scenes at the beginning felt obvious and seemed to know little about comic-book history, and of course, Condorman in costume having to flap his wings isn't quite the superhero we are used to in films.

Filmed in 1981, 'Condorman' is definitely dated, and maybe only suitable for people who actually remember this as a child. It gets a pass from my older self! **½ out of *****!

A grinning Michael Crawford ("Hello, Dolly!") plays Woody Wilkins, a cartoonist whose creations include the title character. He's the most average of Average Joes, and yet his buddy Harry (James Hampton, "Teen Wolf") involves him in a perilous globe-trotting caper in which Woody helps Soviet spy Natalia (Barbara Carrera, "Never Say Never Again") to defect.

More of a light-hearted Disney parody of the espionage genre than anything really resembling a superhero film (Woody's title guise only comes into play twice during the run time), "Condorman" is decent, silly, amiable fun, with lots of explosions and a transforming vehicle worthy of anything James Bond ever drove. The humor is pretty much rooted in the era when this was made, but "Condorman" is good for some mild laughs. Crawford is an endearingly geeky hero, Hampton is solid in support, and the gorgeous, enticing Carrera is a worthy component, as always. Co-starring are Oliver Reed ("The Four Musketeers") as the KGB agent villain, Jean-Pierre Kalfon ("Saint-Cyr") as a Russian goon, and Dana Elcar ("The Sting") as a C. I. A. Officer.

"Condorman" does get a definite boost from its international locales, and the rousing Henry Mancini score. To let you know that it's never supposed to be taken all that seriously, it features some very comical "wipes" between shots.

Six out of 10.

A good, comedic Disney superhero film.

'Condorman' is nothing spectacular or entirely memorable, but it does produce a sufficiently fun 90 minutes. It crosses a whole host of countries, something I like when films do. With that said, in this it feels too broken up. One minute we're in Turkey, then Italy, then Monaco. It doesn't feel like the characters have travelled to me, it's too disjointed.

Michael Crawford (Woody) and Barbara Carrera (Natalia) are solid together, none of the others particularly stand out. Some of Condorman's gadgets/gimmicks are kinda neat, while there's one enjoyable chase sequence in there too.

Worthy of a watch.

The Disney live-action films were in a pretty bad way by the time Condorman came to the screen (see No Deposit No Return and Popeye for further evidence). It is no surprise, therefore, that this effort is yet another on the long list of forgettable family films to come out of the studio during its late 70s/early 80s slump. Not even a strong trio of leading actors (Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed and Barbara Carrera) can put any sparkle into this one.

Crawford, sporting a poor American accent, plays a cartoonist named Woody. Woody is the creator of comic-book superhero Condorman, but one thing that Woody insists on is personally testing the stunts that Condorman attempts in real-life. Woody persuades his friend, a CIA boffin, to let him take part in an assignment. And, having completed the assignment by the blindest of blind luck, he is contacted by a beautiful lady spy who wants to defect to the West.

The best scene features Woody ordering a particularly potent alcoholic drink in a restaurant (when the drink arrives it is so hot that it is on fire, yet he still manages to drink it!) Beyond that, the humour is childish and often strained. The special effects are quite poor on the whole, especially during Condorman's flight sequences where the strings are plainly visible and the back projection photography looks pitifully obvious. In terms of story, it seems almost unfair to criticise the film as it never aspires to be anything more than a kids' adventure flick. However, if you're the type of viewer who likes to get your teeth into a strong storyline then be warned that this one is flimsy at best and utterly infantile at worst. Condorman has mysteriously become something of a rare movie nowadays, but it isn't really worth weeks or months of your life trying to track it down.

I love this movie. I grew up watching Condorman and I always think of it with fond memories. The special effects may not be the best; however, the movie is over two decades old, and I think the effects are quite adequate. Besides, the movie is not supposed to be realistic, but rather it is a comedy with action elements. It provides a window into what people worried about in the early eighties; Cold War espionage is a major part of the story. Overall, it is charming and is a feel-good movie. It has all the classic elements: good verses evil and boy meets girl. It is a quality family movie and I would recommend this film to all who are young at heart.

When I first saw this movie, i became very intrigued. But I wondered aloud on where this "Condorman" came from. It may have come from another time, if so, I think it would very interesting to find out. Watching it with my friends from elementary school was really a blast. I liked the car when it shot up the black Porsches. And the boat was cool too. It's cool when none of the vehicles were downed by the bad guys. And the bad guys were kind of interesting as well. The one with the scary eye freaked out my friends. But that eye was anything but useless. That man can aim that gun accurately. But that didn't stop Condorman! I liked the part when Woody(Michael Crawford) put out that fire in the goblet with his hand. Anything else would burn instantly. This movie was campy, but I would say it wasn't bad. I liked it all the way, and it was quite fun for the family as well. Rating 2 out of 5 stars.

I caught part of this with my buddies when it was released as a double-feature after some Western (Young Guns, maybe).

Amazingly, fewer than 10 (out of 200+) remained in the big screen theater for Condorman.

It starts off looking like another moderately entertaining Disney kid's film, but runs downhill rapidly with a combination of predictability, cliché dialog, horrid performances, and low budget production values unusual for a Disney film. Special effects were poorer than films made 30 years earlier.

Oliver Reed demonstrates once again that he will do anything for money, Barbara Carrera is pretty to look at but nothing else, and Michael Crawford manages to be goofy but completely uninteresting. We were the last to walk out after perhaps 40 minutes.

Yawn!

I saw this on VHS rental in the early 80's and remember it with massive fondness. Over here in the UK the film has been deleted from VHS for over a decade so my chance to see this film again was nil.

So along came DVD, I had no player and this was only available in the US. I bought a player that could play all regions and imported me a copy, and when it bounced through the letterbox to the floor I was like a kid at Christmas.

This is the story of an American comic book artist drawing his books from Paris. His best friend, and flat mate, is a CIA office clerk. When a job comes up for a civilian to carry out, Woody is recruited. After the success of the first mission, all be it by pure luck, Woody is requested by a KGB agent to help her defect.

Now this film is still one of my favourites at the age of 30. And that's not seeing through rose tinted glasses anymore. This film is funny and you really wanna see the good guys win. The gadgets blow James Bond away and I dare anybody who doesn't wanna own a old wagon that converts to a car, or a massive condorman suit that helps you fly.

Now for the bad bits. The film doesn't relate to today's audience with the cold war long since dead and the Russians our friends and allies now. Michael Crawford will always be Condorman to me, but his American accent is very poor. The films print looks lifeless with no colour and the music still lives in 80's ville. Also the plot is very loose, why they went across the alps and through small villages when they could of got on a plane and been in the US in a few hours is never explained. But please do not let this put you off. This is a gem of a movie that still makes me wanna be Condorman. So Speilberg you ever make a remake of this count me in...........

This is a great movie to watch if you want to let your brain rest awhile. "Phantom of the Opera" alumnus Michael Crawford plays a carefree comic-book writer who inadvertantly ends up helping a Russian spy (played by Barbara Carrera, the definitive 007 femme fatale from "Never Say Never Again") defect to the West. The film is helped by beautiful location photography in Paris, Monaco, and Istanbul and two awesome chases (one is a car chase in Yugoslavia and the other is a boat chase in Monte Carlo. But there are some parts that try to be humorous but fall flat. Overall, though, "Condorman" is a pretty cool movie.

It's comforting to see others have the same, fond, childhood memories of this film as I. Watching it again for the first time in well over twenty years, I have to say it holds up really well. It's got a ridiculous plot, hammy acting, dodgy accents, and lame jokes - just like every James Bond film before 2007. But it's fun, and funny, and full of all of the cool spy stuff that I still love as a 38 year old little boy of 10. And in the 30 years since I saw it in the cinemas the theme tune has not left me - it remains as apt, exciting, hummable and ridiculous as it was at the time.

As if you needed any other reasons to love this film, there are two words that guarantee it: Oliver Reed. What a baddie!

If you have a 10 year old child, nephew, or niece, it is your duty to ensure they watch this wonderfully silly action film.

If you are a Michael Crawford fan, this film is for you. Definately not for the traditional movie buff. This is really mean for slightly older children about 7-10 years of age, but with all the high tech and marketing behind current kid shows and movies, they may not appreciate it. Worth a rental before a purchase.

I loved this film when I was a kid. The theme tune and the car chase in the middle are seared on my brain.

And re-watching it at least 35 years later is a pleasant surprise. This family-friendly spy comedy still holds up.

Highlights are Barbara Carrera as a striking femme fatale, Oliver Reed as a ruthless KGB boss, and of course the gadgets and chase scenes - even though my adult eyes now realise that the fleet of black "Porsche" cars used by the baddies had never been close to Stuttgart.

Launching the story with the concept of Michael Crawford's "Condorman" being a comic book hero works really well - in fact the storytelling is surprisingly strong. Equally enjoyable are the many European locations used, a high quality document of the era before computers ruined everything.

However Michael Crawford's leading role doesn't quite hit the mark. The accent isn't right, and there are several occasions where he seems to be on the brink of saying "Ooh Betty!".

It's a cliche to say "they don't make films like this any more". But it is true. This is a family-friendly film, yet there are no children in the cast. In terms of content it is only one step milder than a Bond film of the same era. That's almost unheard of now. And that's a shame. Because I enjoyed the laughs, the action and the tension when I was little. And I still enjoy them now.

Unfortunately Disney seem to have wiped films like this from their history. It's not available to stream. And the DVD copy I picked up is from a ropey old master that probably dates from the VHS era, and doesn't even use widescreen properly. This deserves a proper reissue so that the current generation can enjoy it as much as I did.

They probably had a great time making this film, and as a kid this was absolutely one of my favorite films. Seeing it again as an adult I can't help but notice that most of the actors seem to be in it for a payed vacation in Monte Carlo, and loads of alcohol, however.

It has a lot of good set ups, a super hot Russian spy, and some amusing takes on the cinematic spy-genre. Especially the scene where Condorman's car reveals itself to be a superb racing car, with advanced weaponry - and later on even doubles as a hovercraft. It's straight out of a cross between Captain America and James Bond. But it's severely dated, and full of plot holes. It's also too slowly paced to compete with anything similar today, and the lead actor has no charisma whatsoever. He's a bumbling idiot, and very little else.

Ratings are almost entirely about perspective. Is this really an 8 star movie? Of course not. But it also depends on which version of me you ask.

5 year old me in 1981 - 10 stars!!!!!!! 40something year old me in 2019 - Eh, 6 stars seems fair. Average rating - 8*

Condorman was easily one of my 5 favorite movies as a young child. I watched it so many times I wore out a few VHS tapes. There isn't a lot about the movie that really holds up and I gotta imagine that if you showed it to a child today, they'd probably lose interest in it fairly quickly. Some of the humor is very dated and wouldn't make any sense to anyone who wasn't actually alive at the time. And the special effects, which looked totally real to 5 year old me, are painfully bad to 40+ year old me and would probably be terrible to the eyes of anyone who has grown up only knowing CGI. That said, it was then and still is now, a really fun movie that stays in its lane and doesn't try to be anything more than what it is.

If you're looking for something to engage your 5-10 year old kid, there's a sliiiiiight chance this might do it for them, but chances are the only people who would really enjoy this movie today are people who saw it when it was released. Grab some popcorn and a side order of childhood nostalgia and enjoy.

Watched this a lot in my 5th and 6th grade classes at riverview elementary. Still some how kind of holds up.

If this was a childhood favourite then so be it you can't be helped. But coming to this as an adult with a fondness for Disney I have to say the usual Disney magic is completely missing here. I knew we were in trouble straight away when Michael Crawford's Hello Dolly American accent reared it's ugly head again. The first mission was quite amusing and cleverly choreographed and instantly falling in love was ridiculous but forgivable and there's one or two other passable mildly funny bits but it was very hard going sloppily written and directed. I admit I did drop off at one point. Maybe with a better actor it might have worked. It's a shame as it looked like they spent a lot of money on the special effects and locations. A low point for Disney (3/10)