Kronos, hero of a distant galaxy, tangles with mad scientist Gulik over the fate of mankind.
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If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Gripping story with well-crafted characters
good film but with many flaws
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Superhero Kronos , an alien, called "Supersonic Man," (a bodybuilder and former Tarzan , Richard Yesteran) is sent to Earth to decide the fate of mankind and thwart the schemes of evil men who would destroy the galaxy itself with their weapons from a distant galaxy . Supersonic is also given a human identity , Paul (Michael Coby or Antonio Cantafora) , a journalist who can change back to superhero by activating a watch device . But a nutty mad doctor named Gulik (Cameron Mitchell), supported by his hoodlums (Frank Braña, Luis Barboo), has evil plans , as he wants to rule the planet and abduct Patricia (Diana Polakov) , an eminent scientific (Jose Maria Caffarel)'s daughter and Supersonic's love interest . At the end our hero , Supersonic , enters the underground lair of the villain and has to pass through some corridors where he is shot, frozen, and burnt. This is a humdrum adaptation based on Superman movies from a screenplay by the same filmmaker , Juan Piquer Simón ; as the plot lifts some scene from the script of Superman by Richard Donner . This is a pretty entertaining superhero movie though packs absurd situations and cheesy frames . Supersonic man and his human alter ego Paul were not played by the same actor , he was played by a Spanish and Italian actor respectively . As Supersonic was played by bodybuilder and former Tarzan José Luis Ayestarán , Paul, his human alter ego , was played by Antonio Cantafora . Atmospheric as well as ridiculous super hero movie contains bemusing scenes when appears the bouncing He man and takes place his confrontation to nasty hoodlums in some lousily made scenes , including primitive special effects . Part of the spaceship in the opening scenes is made from a Cylon Raider model and other parts have numerous "older technique" FX such as transparency , matte paintings, rubber-suited enemies , reverse-footage to create certain images ; all of them were made by Emilio Ruiz Del Rio , Francisco Prosper and the same director , Juan Piquer . As this superhero possesses mighty powers such as flying , sensational strength , throwing fire and transforming handguns into bananas , all of them being recreated by means of traditional effects . You will watch it and think it is either awful , hilarious, a masterpiece, or all three . It's a slight fun with embarrassing images , naive special effects , horrible musical score with awful songs by Gino Pecuri , campy set decoration and below average art direction . Although critics do not appreciate much this picture ; however has a kind of loopy, Ed Wood quality that must be endured to be totally considered . The fable is sometimes silly and laughable , though a few naif effects and action are professionally made . Some illogical parts in the argument are more than compensated for the excitement provided by Sonic man though some flying scenes are a little bit cheesy . While not a hit during its original run, the film became a limited success when reissued nearly 30 years later deemed to be one of the best worst films of cinema history . The motion picture was lousily directed by Juan Piquer . Juan , who goes by "J.P. Simon" on foreign releases , began in films as a writer and assistant director and continued his career by making short films and documentaries . Juan has produced and directed "exploitation" pictures for two decades running . He was one of the main directors of the Spanish horror boom in the 70s and 80s specially for his quartet of horror films as ¨Escalofrio¨, ¨Slugs¨ , ¨Cthulhu Mansion¨ and his greatest success and immensely popular ¨Pieces¨ . Juan owns his own studio and created and/or designed many of the simple and primitive special effects sequences you see in any of his many imaginative undertakings . Piquer , who recently passed away, was a good craftsman who realized a lot of amusing as well as entertaining films . Juan Piquer who was director of the Mostra of Valencia (Spain) , displayed a professional career and specialized on all kind of genres as Terror , Sci-fi (The rift , The new Extraterrestres, Supersonic man) and made some adaptations about Jules Verne novels ("Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth" , "Mystery on Monster Island") . While his films have been universally panned by the prestigious reviewers, they have a kind of quality that must be endured to be utterly appreciated .
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
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.
...if you're a lover of bad cinema. From the horrible credit sequence which desperately tries to copy SUPERMAN, to the super cheesy flying sequences, to scenes of hero lifting up things like an incredibly fake looking, wooden (yes, wooden) bulldozer, director J.P. Simon delivers the goods yet again! The man who brought you PIECES and SLUGS doesn't disappoint. If you have no life, viewing this film is a must!!!