It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Who will save the world? The now drunken, down and out former superhero who used to be the saviour of the world (the first seven minutes of the film are told in clever black and white newsreels) whose powers have lost him? Finding him in Sydney, he is brought back to combat the evil Mister Midnight (Christopher Lee). A significant portion of the film has him eventually drying out and regaining his strength. The film is partially a musical in the "Rocky Horror" vein. The film is definitely not for children, it has some parts not suitable for them. A big plus is the always watchable Alan Arkin as Captain Invincible. A lesser actor would have sunk this role, but he is lots of fun and, as usual, puts in a great performance. If you think you'll like a crazy film about a washed up superhero who is wanting to save the earth, and like that it is played for laughs, then enjoy. Its a great Saturday afternoon film. Check it out.

Saw "Captain Invincible" last week at a Bad Movie Night event and it was the worst -- and funniest -- musical I have ever seen. This movie makes "Plan 9 from Outer Space" look like "Citizen Kane"! It's meant to be a spoof and is purposefully bad, but I don't think the makers of this film intended it to be quite as awful as it really is. The musical numbers are completely lame, plenty of gratuitous nudity a la Benny Hill, there are evil punk rockers with half-mohawks, bondage clad new wave hooker chicks, attack vacuum cleaners, crazed Nazis with Yoda-like sidekicks in bad prosthetic makeup. What more could you want? Oh, yeah, a discernible plot might be nice and actors who could sing and dance would be a real bonus.If you want to throw a boffo Bad Movie Night, I highly recommend "Captain Invincible" -- it will have your guests in stitches and explains why we're glad the 80s are long past.

This movie is an excellent parody which explains why some viewers may find it distasteful or cheesy. It is an Australian and not a NAmerican movie, and given that NAmerican culture is so widely exported it is natural that other nations will try to interpret it and to comment on the same, although from their own idiosyncratic point of view, and nobody is more idiosyncratic than the Australians. Yes, it is low budget, and often simplistic, and the ending is predictable, as NAmerica so often is itself. However the fallen hero, redemption through the intervention of a loyal companion whose faith renews his own, the battle not so much against evil as against his own weakness (the mai-tai scene is sublime), all of these are the ingredients of every epic story from Ragnarok to Superman. I recommend an open mind and a mellow drunk or similar to watch this absurd gem.

I just saw the film for the first time tonight, so these are some brief impressions. This virtually unknown little movie is a weird, goofy, silly, and touchingly sincere experience. The very premise of the film is fascinating, and though we've seen the "old-time hero in the modern world" premise before and since, this is one effort that really delves into the potential of that idea. The script keeps dropping in bits of social satire and commentary; the evil villain's plot is essentially the inverse of "white flight", seeking to "purify" New York by luring all the minorities to the suburbs and then killing them. The implication that he's also the supreme evil force in the universe adds a neat mythic touch. The Captain's quest to re- capture the spirit of America that inspired him to begin with is rather sweet, and Kate Fitzpatrick is charming as the spunky heroine. (Arkin and Lee are great, but aren't they always.) The songs are generally fun, even when predictable- despite being written by a number of different people (including Richard O' Brien!) they've got a nice consistency. It's a flawed film in many ways- the humor is uneven, ranging from the clever to the silly (often at the same time- though "Amazing Computer Brain is Stuck!" got a laugh from me.) The finale is so abbreviated that I'm convinced there were scenes that were either cut or never filmed. And, this isn't really a criticism, but I do wonder why Australians were making a movie about the American spirit. Still, this movie doesn't deserve the sheer obscurity it seems to suffer. It's undoubtedly a unique film, and as such provides a truly fascinating experience.