Before I saw this film, I had never heard of Captain Barbell and I had no idea that there were other films or TV shows about him. I know nothing about him--just what I saw in this movie. And, aside from this film, I've only seen about a dozen Philippine movies. For these reasons, I might not be the best person to review this film. But, for the average Filipino who has NOT seen or heard of Barbell, perhaps this review would be more useful.
The characters in this film appear to be ripoffs of American superheroes. For example, Captain Barbell (which rhymes with 'Marvel') is in reality a wimpy guy who becomes the hero when he picks up a magic barbell--almost like wimpy American Billy Batson saying 'Shazam' to become the caped hero. And, there is even a small portion of the film where knockoffs of Plastic Man and Wonder Woman make brief appearances! However, what is really different are the villains. To some extent, they are all pretty pathetic. However, the Rat Guy--that one was such a sad character that I though my wife would burst into tears when he appeared.
Now all this is NOT to say that the film is that good or that it is in any way comparable to the originals. You'll never mistake them for these classic characters--mostly because the special effects are, compared to a Hollywood film, pretty laughable. BUT, at the same time, there is a goofy likability to the film. So, no matter how cheesy it all seems, you still have a good time watching. Brilliant? No...but very enjoyable.
