Les aventures de Captain Zoom

this appeared as a very amusing movie to me. there were a lot of jokes in it, but they didn't really came thru.. it was just funny to see how most jokes failed, how ugly the costumes were and how bad the acting was. a really campy, failed sci-fi movie.. but maybe that was all on purpose?.. i enjoyed it, and if you're into b-movies and parody's i bet you will too.

Well, I should have suspected it, but this turns out to be a smug and totally inept spoof of "Captain Video and His Video Rangers", television's first space drama which ran on the Du Mont Television Network from 1949 to 1955. In fact, "Captain Zoom" is set on the Du Mont network in 1955. The premise is that aliens are receiving "Captain Zoom" program transmissions and believe that the Captain really does exist as some sort of super Earth hero, so they abduct the actor who portrays him, for their own purposes. The way this film handles that concept is adolescent and almost totally unfunny. A shame, because it could have been pulled off, had they tried less hard to keep reminding us that they were joking about a long-gone TV series. Precious few remember much about the original "Captain Video" series anyway, as only a few episodes survive. You'll do better to spend the time viewing the remaining CV originals, especially the later ones which were done on a fraction of the budget of this bomb but always played fair with its audience. Anyway, "The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space", which was planned to be a series, faded after this one-shot pilot film. And that's merciful.

A fifties sci-fi TV series star suddenly finds himself in space, with people who believe he's a real hero. That's about as much plot as you need to apply to "Captain Zoom." It pays homage to the old serials and movies, with the characters buzzing around in spaceships with tail fins and red tail lights, and Ron Perlman doing a take off on "Ming the Merciless." Geared for the kids, but adults can enjoy it too, just check your brain in at the door.

Captain Zoom is a delightful farce. The writing and acting are exactly what the story line needs and sets up the comedy nicely. The cast is stereotypical but strong, especially the boy genius. The special effects are enough to further the story. After reading other comments, I think the whole point is the absurdity of the situation - that a journeyman actor would be thrown into such a save-the-world scenario. The dialog and presentation are perfect for this type of farce. It's very enjoyable, if you don't take it seriously. Compare this to Galaxy Quest; they are of similar style and quality. I intend to have this film in my library permanently. Also, it's nice to see Nichelle Nichols in something other than Star Trek.

I'd rate watching this similarly to watching "Stay Tuned" or "Mom and Dad Save the World", not ground shaking, but a nice, fun, family friendly comedy!

The film starts out with your typical 30s era TV star, a la Buck Rodgers, on screen, dashing and heroic, off screen, egotistical and pampered. On a different distant planet the watch the exploits of Captain Zoom, as if it were reality TV (much like Galaxy Quest). Their world is tormented by an oppressive ruler, their only salvation, building a device to bring Captain Zoom to their planet to save the day! Comedy ensues...

I hope it gets to DVD soon so I can grab it!