SANTO VS. CAPULINA (1969) * ½

Capulina (Gaspar Henaine) was a famous Mexican comedian who starred in over eighty comedies.  He was so popular it’s not surprising he would eventually meet El Santo.  I’ve never seen a Capulina movie before, and this one didn’t exactly make me want to see another one any time soon. 

El Santo is on the trail on some diamond thieves.  Naturally, his investigation causes him to cross paths with the irritating Capulina.  Santo brushes him off, but Capulina takes it upon himself to help nab the bad guys.  (He even buys himself an El Santo mask.)  Things get more complicated when the villain creates a robot double of Capulina, with predictable results.

The obvious problem with Santo vs. Capulina is that it’s more of a Capulina comedy than an El Santo movie.  His shtick just isn’t funny and mostly revolves around him accidentally knocking shit over.  The annoying comedic musical score that accompanies his routines is repeated ad nauseum and is liable to give you a migraine before the flick is over. 

This was especially disappointing considering the great Rene (Night of the Bloody Apes) Cardona directed it.  Even if you could dismiss Capulina’s unfunny shenanigans, Cardona drops the ball when it comes to the action.  Take for instance the fight in the warehouse.  It’s very cheap looking (El Santo is obviously knocking the bad guys into empty boxes) and the camera placement is awkward, which makes for a lackluster brawl.

The El Santo scenes work up to a point.  My favorite moment came when the villain sends a sexy robot babe after him and he pushes her into a swimming pool, and she explodes!  He also fights a robot wrestler, but it doesn’t count as a true wrestling match as it occurs during practice in an empty arena.  I mean what can you say about an El Santo movie that doesn’t even feature him wrestling?  There are also no musical sequences in the film, which would’ve preferable to Capulina’s unfunny comedy bits. 

Overall, I can’t say this is the worst El Santo movie I’ve ever seen.  It’s just the one that strays furthest from my sensibilities.  There’s always been an element of humor in these films, although it’s mostly unintentional due to the shoddy special effects and low budget.  This one is proof that when they try to be funny on purpose, the results are often painful.