Friday, November 15, 2024

SUPERARGO AND THE FACELESS GIANTS (1971) ***

A mad scientist (Guy Madison) is kidnapping the world’s greatest athletes and turning them into mind-controlled automatons who do his bidding.  Secret agent Superargo (once again played by Giovanni Cianfriglia) is put on the case and returns to the wrestling ring to set a trap for the so-called “Faceless Giants”.  (It’s at this point of the review that I should note that the Faceless Giants all have faces and aren’t all that giant, but never mind.)  Superargo eventually convinces the deadly doctor’s hot assistant (Diana Lorys) to switch sides to help him defeat the mechanical monsters once and for all. 

I had a lot of fun with Superargo Against Diabolicus, so I decided to immediately run out and watch this goofy sequel.  Turns out, it’s even better.  Like the first flick, it feels like an Italian version of an El Santo movie.  This time out, there’s a heavier concentration of Sci-Fi silliness, which makes it enormously entertaining.  The Faceless Giants look like dudes in dime store robot costumes with coffee urns on their head and pantyhose over their faces.  I also liked that Superargo now trains with an Indian mystic and has mastered the art of levitation, telepathy, and blowing stuff up with his mind (although it never comes in handy, go figure).  Plus, there’s even more wrestling here than in the original, which is a bonus.  The groovy jazzy score also kicks a lot of ass. 

As with Superargo Against Diabolicus, the film has a tendency to drag whenever it becomes a little plot heavy.  The second act in particular is rather patchy, and the finale lacks the sustained silliness of the early going.  That’s really me just nitpicking.  Ultimately, whenever Superargo is punching the daylights out of goofy looking robot men, it’s damn good times. 

AKA:  The Invincible Superman.  AKA:  Superargo the Giant.  AKA:  The King of Criminals.  AKA:  Superargo.

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