Too much of everything

Don't Believe the Hype

As Good As It Gets

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Here Goliath or Maciste , (the bouncing Mark Forest who , nowadays , he currently teaches opera in the Los Angeles area) , along with Xandros , Giuliano Gemma , and Aceas , Mimmo Palmara battle for the freedom of the Babylonian people . They are the three invincible who join forces with a band of rebels led by Evandro , Livio Lorenzon . Then , Maciste participates a chariot race winning over the Princess of Babylonian , José Greci , though by terms the competition she must marry the winner , but Goliath renounces to be aware she is in love for his colleague Xandros . Later on , they unite wills against two tyrants : Morakeg , Erno Crisa , and King Rukus , Paul Muller . Meanwhile , they attempt to save virginal girls to be sacrificed.Good Peplum with noisy action , thrills , fights , comical touches and resulting to be pretty entertaining . It's an adventure film with all the ingredients as sword-play , action , brawls , comedy , amusement and typical confrontation between good guys and bad guys . The film displays some impressive scenes about ship battles as well as horse races in Ben Hur style . The picture allows for periods of humor , -as the comic relief is frequently provided by the likable midget- and calm in which to establish characters punctuated by viscerally exciting bursts of action . Stars Mark Forest considered to be one of the best Peplum actors along with Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott . He-man Forest was a hunk who made great number of roman epic films also called ¨Musclemen movies¨ . He was one of a number of bodybuilder and physique model types who followed muscleman Steve Reeves out to Italy in the early 60s and won campy notice playing Herculean characters in those campy Italian sand-and-spear epics . Ursus, Maciste , Goliath , Samson , Hércules , Atlas , Rocha ..., those Italian Muscle man producers must have had a hard time figuring out what to call the musclebound actors who played all these legendary muscleman heroes . Being other second-class Muscle men players the followings : Dan Vadis , Rock Stevens , Gordon Mitchell , Brad Harris , Samson Burke , Reg Park , Ed Fury , Richard Harrison , Kirk Morris , Alan Steel or Sergio Ciani and subsequently Lou Ferrigno . Nobody, nevertheless , topped Steve Reeves in popularity , though Gordon Scott and Mark Forest made him an important competence . Third generation Italian American Forest was the second American actor bodybuilder , after Steve Reeves , to be recruited by Italian producers to star in sword and sandal films . As Mark Forest played a lot of Péplum , such as : Maciste Il invincible , Hercules against the sons of the sun , Leon Di Tebas , Goliath and the Dragón , Maciste Contra I Mongoles , Vengeance of Hercules , among others . As Mark used the money he made making gladiator movies in Italy to study Opera , residing in L.A. where he teaches singing and usually works as a personal trainer . Costars the sympathetic Giuliano Gemma whose first star film was a Peplum : Los Titanes , following several Spaghettis as Ringo , the return of Ringo , Adios gringo , Arizona Colt , California , Day of wrath , Wanted , and Tex .This film also known as Los Three Invencibles or Goliath and the sins of Babylon or Maciste the World greatest hero contains great production design , brilliant photography , enjoyable soundtrack and a cast of thousands . And evocative and atmospheric musical score by Francesco De Massi . Besides , a colorful and shining cinematography by Mancori . The motion picture was well directed by Michele Lupo who directed all kinds of genres . As Lupo made Peplum as Seven rebel gladiators , The Strongest slaves , La vendetta Di Spartacus ; Westerns as Fistful of knuckles , California , Arizona Colt and Bud Spencer movies as The sheriff and the little extraterrestrial , Bombardero and Buddy goes West

Goliath helps to free the Babylonian people from it's own evil rulers that demands 30 virgins to be sacrificed each year. Mark Forest is in the lead strongman role of Maciste / Goliath / Marcellus.It's an average peplum, nothing all that great. A few of the costumes look really cool and that's about as far as it gets with me.What I disliked strongly is the fact that they enjoy putting little people in the comic-relief roles and here is another prime example of that. It's a shame to waste talent this way.Another Mill Creek film from the Warriors 50-pack. Color faded. 2/10

Goliath and the Sins Of Babylon finds the legendary biblical villain a muscular hero in the person of Mark Forest battling for the autonomy of the Kingdom of Nephyr against the Babylonian Empire. It seems as though back in the day this kingdom was a vassal state and was run by some folks who had a vested interest in keeping things that way. Babylon's tribute among other things from Nephyr was a thirty virgins a year quota they had to meet. One wonders how the gynecological examinations were to make sure that no false goods were delivered to the Babylonian Emperor.In any event the giant Goliath trains as a gladiator and trains the other gladiators to fight. As in all these peplums naturally it all works out in the end.Mark Forest is maybe the best looking of all the bodybuilders who were finding work in Italy playing classical heroes. But that ain't reason enough to watch this film.

This Mark Forest (Lou Degni) vehicle is par-for-the-course peplum, but American International was able to pack them in at the boxoffice with the stunning poster accompanying this film's US release. If you're into movie poster art, then look for this piece on Ebay; it's the definitive exploitation teaser for this genre.