Abar, the First Black Superman (1977)

User Rating:

3.4/10   

Director:

Frank Packard

Writers:

James Smalley (screenplay)
James Smalley (story)

Release Date:

March 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

What It Was ... What It Is ... What It Ought To Be!

Plot:

Upon moving into a bigoted neighborhood, the scientist father of a persecuted black family gives a superpower elixir to a tough bodyguard, who thus becomes a superpowered crimefighter. |

Plot Keywords:

Elixir | Super Power | Superhero | Racism | African American

Cast

J. Walter Smith	...	Dr. Kincade
Tobar Mayo	...	Abar
Roxie Young	...	Mrs. Kincade
Gladys Lum	...	Debbie Kincade
Tony Rumford	...	Tommie Kincade
Rupert Williams	...	Jim Kincade
Tina James	...	Susan Kinade
Art Jackson	...	Dudley
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Doubleday	...	Tough
Odell Mack

Also Known As:

Abar: Black Superman (USA) (DVD box title)
In Your Face (USA) (reissue title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Jos-To Productions

Ahead of its time

This is a bicameral movie, of sorts. The first two thirds is an examination of the problem of middle class blacks (Dr. Kincaide and his family) wanting to move out of his black neighborhood for security and class consciousness concerns. Abar, a vigilante type character running a kind of rogue chapter of something akin to the Black Panthers (but unarmed), challenges Dr. Kincaide to consider raising up those among his race that he is living behind.

At this stage, the viewer may be somewhat confused, as the title makes one think they are going to see a genre superhero film, but that doesn't really happen until the last act. The first two acts flesh out the class conflict between the two main characters and their mutual enemy, the white bigots of the neighborhood who want to force Dr. Kincaide to move.

To me, this was the novel and more engaging part of the movie. The last act, when Abar becomes a psycho-telekinetic "superman" is rather amusing, but it is pure fantasy rather than science fiction as it claims ("The first Black science fiction film!"). The goal seems to have been to have this catharsis for black audiences to howl over in the theaters.

I think most of the reviewers here on IMDb have been too hard on this film. Sure, there are technical deficiency's and so forth, but taken on its own terms, "Abar" deserves praise for attempting to tackle a tough subject like class struggle which most blacks would prefer to slough off erroneously as a race question.