We at CF were treated to a rare a wonderful thing a chance to see a bad movie classic on the big screen. This one was barely able to sneak onto American screens, even when it was originally released in 1976. In a well-made and respectable foreign film, we often consider dubbing to be nothing short of annoying on a level that could only be matched by Britney Spears' acting or Jar Jar Binks. Nails on a chalkboard, etc. That being said, the English dubbing in Super Infra-man is not only acceptable, but preferred - only a few movies I can think of benefit from English dubbing. See also: Story of Riki.
Ripping off Ultraman and pre-dating the Power Rangers, Infra-Man is a schlock classic, ranking with the best of the bygone rubber monster craze. Starring a baby-faced Danny Lee years before The Killer made him famous when he went down in a blaze of glory with Chow Yun Fat. He was off to an embarrassing start in the seventies, wearing the tight red rubber Infra-Man suit that also sports antennae.
When a volcano explodes and spits out the secret headquarters of Princess Dragon Mom, a blonde-haired Chinese woman who cracks a giant whip and wants to control the earth, the world's greatest scientific minds leap into action, creating a superhero with see-through eyes (according to the trailer). We know they're scientists because they all wear white coats and hang out in a futuristic-looking room full of randomly-blinking lights, as every B sci-fi scientist seemed to.
Princess Dragon Mom commands a legion of guys wearing bike helmets with skulls painted on them, as well as half a dozen rubber-suited monsters. They also have speedboats and go around tearing down power lines and brainwashing people - EEEEEEVVVVVILLLLL! The story is incredibly simplistic, and really just shuttles Infra-Man from one confrontation to the next. There's a strange scene with the professor and his daughter that's good for some unintentional laughs, and lots of great stuff with PDM hamming it up in her sekrit base.
This movie is a lot of mindless monster fun, but it's got some pacing problems, especially if you try to watch it with subtitles. It's best enjoyed auf English, as the Germans would say, with a big group of acquaintances with senses of humor.
Is this movie worth your $2?
No doubt! The English-dubbed version has enough laughs to leave any fan of bad movies happy. The more people to share the laughter will only amplify your enjoyment of this film!
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