The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)

Director:

Philippe Mora

Writers:

Andrew Gaty (writer)
Peter Smalley (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

17 February 1984 (West Germany)

Genre:

Musical | Fantasy | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Look...Up on the Screen...Its Absurd...Its Insane...Its...

Plot:

In ww-ii Captain Invincible used his superpowers against the Nazis, was a hero. But then he got under suspect of supporting the communists...

Plot Keywords:

Superhero | Satire | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Alan Arkin	...	Captain Invincible
Christopher Lee	...	Mr. Midnight
Kate Fitzpatrick	...	Patty Patria
Bill Hunter	...	Tupper / Coach
Michael Pate	...	President
David Argue	...	Italian salesman
John Bluthal	...	Deli owner
Chelsea Brown	...	Tour guide
Max Cullen	...	Italian man
Arthur Dignam	...	Lawyer
Noel Ferrier	...	Air Force General
Hayes Gordon	...	Kirby
Chris Haywood	...	Maitre d'
Graham Kennedy	...	Prime Minister
Gus Mercurio	...	Noisy garbageman

Also Known As:

Legend in Leotards

Runtime:

Germany:96 min | USA:90 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Seven Keys

Quotes:

Mr. Midnight: Same old dreary demands. Self righteous, messianic, moralistic and increasingly tedious.
Captain Invincible: Fine talk from a sociopath paranoid schitzophrenic with delusions of grandeur.
Mr. Midnight: Thank you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

Soundtrack:

New York, New York

Christopher Lee … Singing!

Christopher Lee is, apart from a demigod of horror and an amazing human being altogether, a very strange and unpredictable individual… Not that long ago I saw a film called "Meat Cleaver Massacre" and Lee allegedly wanted to sue the producers for using footage of him that he wasn't aware of. He wanted to go to court because he didn't know he starred in a not even that bad film, yet he voluntarily starred in THIS totally bonkers and jaw-dropping flamboyant Aussie flick?!? What the hell kind of career-swings are these?

Anyway, "The Return of Captain Invincible" is one gigantically delirious and extravagant cinematic conglomeration of Sci-Fi, comedy, musical, superhero-action and satire. I probably never would have known this movie existed if it wasn't for the recently released documentary "Not Quite Hollywood: the Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation". I swear, I've stumbled upon a lot of crazy and obscure Aussie stuff since the fine day I watched that film, but this puppy is undoubtedly the craziest of them all! The set-up of "The Return of Captain Invincible" is a lot more clever and original than you might think, actually. One could even claim that it's a forerunner of such popular films like Pixar's "The Incredibles", "Spiderman" and "Hancock", as this movie was the first to depict the powers and responsibilities of a superhero more as a burden rather than as a blessing. The film opens marvelously with a series of newspaper clippings and black-and-white flashbacks illustrating the glorious rise and immediately subsequent fall of superhero Captain Invincible. He saved the world from Nazi terrorism but then the media soiled his reputation linked him to a communist network. The disappointed Cap retired from New York to Sydney and spent many years drinking and drifting around. Now the world desperately needs him again, as the evil Mr. Midnight plots to take over New York, but Captain Invincible is reluctant to save the hypocrites that exiled him and – moreover – he forgot how to fly…

"The Return of Captain Invincible" is the prototypic example of a 'hit- and-miss' film. Many of the conceptual ideas are terrific and several sequences are both very creative and downright hilarious, but at the same time the film suffers from numerous defaults. Practically every great scene and/or moment of ingeniousness is followed by an irrelevant and dull scene or a needlessly mushy musical interlude. The film is very uneven in its set-up, exchanging absurd jokes and singing evil masterminds with moments of sentimental romance. It sometimes even feels like you're watching two entirely different films; especially when you're watching stoned like I was… The biggest entertainment value of "The Return of Captain Invincible" lies in the smaller details. Christopher Lee's sidekick, for example, looks like an evil version of Yoda with a Fu-Manchu mustache. The undeniable highlight is, as a matter of course, owned by Lee himself when he sings a hymn glorifying evil activities. Lovers of offbeat musicals might be very interest to know that nearly all songs are reminiscent to the soundtrack of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Overall, this definitely could have been a much better film if certain parts were cut and others had been more elaborated, but it's nevertheless a unique and strangely exhilarating film. Thank you, crazy Aussie people, for yet another wondrous piece of cult legacy.