Supersonic Man (1979)

I would never have watched this film, I like low budget old horror and action films but not superhero films unless it's a superhero I have heard of. The only reason why I watched this is because it was riffed (made fun of with ongoing jokes while the film plays) by Rifftrax. This is now available on Hulu which is where I watched it. I see the DVD package is marketing this as a "superspoof" meaning it was made as a comedy. This is inaccurate, it was made as a Superman rip off. It does have a comedic character in it with about 4 bits, the last being the most funny, but this was made as a straight superhero film. As such, it's horrible, but to it's credit, it's horrible enough to be funny. Cameron Mitchell plays the bad guy, he's horrible and the only American actor in this. The dialog is horrible with a lot of repetition, example, Join me, no I will not, Join me, No I will not, on and on and on. The highlights were the cr' appy robot and the Italian lead actor who looks like Alain Delon a little. Also, call me crazy but I'm pretty sure they used Cameron Mitchell in the final scene as the old professor in the hospital, I guess that scene was ad libbed to wrap it up and the Spanish actor had already passed in real life? I watched this riffed and the Rifftrax guys made me laugh out loud at least a half dozen times. 1 star for this as a film you paid to watch in the theater, 6 stars if you are watching this to mock it, 7 stars as a Rifftrax feature. BTW, I thought at first this was an Italian production but learned it's from Spain which has made me realize that in the hierarchy of bad cinema that the Spanish may have the Italians beat. If you are looking for a more enjoyable bad Euro superhero flick from this time, check out The Pumaman, it is available in riffed (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and non riffed versions, both are funny and much more entertaining then Supersonic Man.

Supersonic Man (Ayesteran) has been sent from his home planet somewhere far away in space to save Earth. A sinister baddie, Dr. Gulik (Mitchell), is developing a weapon that could destroy the planet. To help him, Gulik kidnaps scientist Dr. Morgan (Caffarel) but Morgan refuses to cooperate, and they get into philosophical discussions of the nature of good and evil. Meanwhile, Morgan's daughter Patricia (Polakov) gets into a relationship with Paul (Cantafora)...but who is Paul really? Throughout many travails - from goons with ray guns to a very slow-moving, flamethrowing robot, only one man can properly save the day...SUPERSONIC MAN! Being fans of director Simon, based on his Pieces (1982) and Slugs (1988), as well as being dedicated Cam Mitchell fans, we were excited when we came across a VHS copy (on the under-appreciated Star Classics label) of Supersonic Man at our local Goodwill store. We were not disappointed, as Supersonic Man is a hilarious treat of a movie. We feel sorry for anyone who cannot appreciate unintended genius like this. Obviously this is "inspired" by the 1978 Superman movie - everything from the main theme of the soundtrack, to the very humorous "flying" scenes, to the relationship aspect - but without even a fraction of the budget of that Hollywood picture. But lack of funds didn't stop Simon, as this wildly wacky adventure proves.As for the aforementioned fan favorite, Cam Mitchell, he wears a killer bad-guy outfit as he takes on the role best described as a Mr. Big, Dr. Evil, or Dr. Claw-type of villain. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be Cam's own voice in the dubbing. But in the back-and-forth between Cam's character, Gulik, and the scientist, Morgan, Gulik continually calls him "old man" and makes cracks about his age. This is quite funny because it's not like Cam is some young punk teenager. He's likely older than the other guy! And that barely scratches the surface of the utter absurdity of Supersonic Man.There's also a bit of Star Wars (1977), as Supersonic Man must say the phrase "may the force of the galaxy be with me" in order to activate his powers. Plus, in the movie, he's simply "Supersonic", no "Man". There's even some pre-politically correct humor involving the town drunk. We can't possibly go through all the wonderfully silly moments, you'll just have to experience this gem of comic-booky, childish fun for yourself. You'll more than likely have a blast watching this movie with your friends.For more action, check out: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Years and years after I saw brief fragments of this absurdly grotesque Spanish "Superman" knock-off on TV, during a special about the worst movie productions ever made, I finally the full film for the first time! Special word of thanks to my good pal, and fellow IMDb-member Dario the 2nd and his endless movie collection! "Supersonic Man" is an indescribably yummy smörgåsbord of cheese, tackiness, decadence, incompetence, infantile enthusiasm and delirium. Theoretically speaking, this is presumably one of the worst movies ever made, but simultaneously also the most entertaining piece of rubbish I've seen in years. The slasher imitation "Pieces" and the creature feature wannabe "Slugs" already convinced me of writer/director Juan Piquer Simon's capacities as a bad B-movie maker, but "Supersonic Man" is undoubtedly the biggest accomplishment of his career. The plot isn't even remotely important – all you should know is that the titular hero has to prevent the ultra, super, massive, hyper evil mastermind Cameron Mitchell from obtaining world domination – but the moments of sheer priceless imbecility are plentiful and unintentionally hilarious. Just for fun; behold a short listing of the film's greatest *cough* highlights: + Whenever he transforms into Supersonic Man, our hero wears an outfit that makes him look like a crossbreed between a flamboyant homosexual and a FILA wrestler. His exaggeratedly long and aimless flights over New York City are always accompanied by the cheesiest music ever composed. + Supersonic Man is an intergalactic hero who can fly through rock, hellfire and ice. However, he has his butt whooped at least three times during confrontations with ordinary thugs. Once even during a lame bar fight with crazy hillbilly music playing in the background. + The last thing you can say about Supersonic Man is that he doesn't have a sense of humor! He abuses his powers to go out and steal booze to go on a date and when he breaks out of a death trap in the open ocean, he flies in circles around his enemies for minutes just to toy with them. + There are cardboard bulldozers, cars spontaneously catching fire as they drive off cliffs and some of the craziest dialogs ever writer + Cameron Mitchell portrays the least modest mega-villain in cinema history. In one and the same dialog, he refers to himself as both Julius Caesar and our God almighty. His sidekick is a bulky and ultra slow- moving robot. At a certain point in the film the robot attacks a couple of people in a house, but basically all they should do is climb up some stairs and the stupid thing would be utterly powerless. In conclusion: a must for every self-respecting cinema connoisseur; duh!

Supersonic man was made for the people waiting for Superman II(1980). It rips off the original Superman film in many scenes, but is still quite a good watch if you like superhero movies. The FX of our hero flying were not that great- however still far superior than Superman IV. Overall, not a bad film.