Like Houdini, Professor Zovek is an escape artist; like The Shadow, he can cloud men's minds; like Bruce Lee, he has mastered the martial arts- and, like a 1960s hippie, he wears a fringed buckskin outfit (with headband). All of which makes him a formidable opponent when one is looking to conquer the world. Switching to a chest-revealing vest, Zovek and two sidekicks travel to what amounts to the island of Dr. Moreau to stop the would-be world conqueror. There, in the bowels of a really cool looking Mayan temple (or somesuch), Zovek and company find midget manimals rotting away in cells. Alas, the trio are captured- but Zovek escapes his captors (by dint of sheer willpower, he makes the chains binding him fall away) and releases the mini-manimals, who swarm all over anyone who gets in their way, devouring them. Zovek finds himself doing battle with a giant black man with fangs in the film's finale (which takes place atop the temple, above a flaming pit). Will our hero survive? You do the math. (And don't let the fact that this was his only movie fool you.)
3 Reviews
A decidedly decent-enough offering but too flawed
kannibalcorpsegrinder21 November 2013
Brought in by the government, a master fighter with psychic powers and his assistant find their assignment to bring down a criminal mastermind far more dangerous than initially figured when they find his released deformed, mutated beings are put under control and forcing them to deal with all them as well as the initial target.
There's some pretty big problems with this one and really hinder it from generating all that it really could've with this story. That in itself is the main problem, that it really doesn't exploit it's fine premise more than it could've, as this one seems to be ripe with the potential of featuring all sorts of confrontations with the mutated beings in different conflagrations against the hero as he locks up against them on his path to stop the creator at the center of it, yet instead this one decides to make the psychic powers and physical prowess he can demonstrate far more often than what really should be necessary. Even starting off with a ten-minute long session among governmental agents to prove his powers are indeed true makes for a rather convoluted and completely draining experience to start off with that really takes the life out of the movie before it even starts, and then throughout the film as it's filled with all sorts of double-crosses and spy-movie machinations as he attempts to escape the trap-filled lair rather than fight the creatures to finally get free. Perhaps it's for the best, though, with the laughable and hardly intimidating make-up on the creatures with over-sized denture-fangs and artificial drool to complete the demented look yet just comes off as amateurish and laughable when compared to other, better jobs at the same time. These here really ruin what could've been a fun entry with plenty of cheesiness to fill this one, with stuff like the continuous usage of his psychic powers to overcome guards, move objects around and generally make everyone else look like a goof for his benefit after having ample evidence that he's capable of doing so with no further attempt to contain the powers, numerous brawls with the security guards and other agents to display some marginal martial arts skills and a fantastic brawl with the wildest creature during a classic burning-down-the-castle finale that offers up some nice action and stunt-work with the final resolution. This really could've been a lot of fun if it wasn't so flawed.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
There's some pretty big problems with this one and really hinder it from generating all that it really could've with this story. That in itself is the main problem, that it really doesn't exploit it's fine premise more than it could've, as this one seems to be ripe with the potential of featuring all sorts of confrontations with the mutated beings in different conflagrations against the hero as he locks up against them on his path to stop the creator at the center of it, yet instead this one decides to make the psychic powers and physical prowess he can demonstrate far more often than what really should be necessary. Even starting off with a ten-minute long session among governmental agents to prove his powers are indeed true makes for a rather convoluted and completely draining experience to start off with that really takes the life out of the movie before it even starts, and then throughout the film as it's filled with all sorts of double-crosses and spy-movie machinations as he attempts to escape the trap-filled lair rather than fight the creatures to finally get free. Perhaps it's for the best, though, with the laughable and hardly intimidating make-up on the creatures with over-sized denture-fangs and artificial drool to complete the demented look yet just comes off as amateurish and laughable when compared to other, better jobs at the same time. These here really ruin what could've been a fun entry with plenty of cheesiness to fill this one, with stuff like the continuous usage of his psychic powers to overcome guards, move objects around and generally make everyone else look like a goof for his benefit after having ample evidence that he's capable of doing so with no further attempt to contain the powers, numerous brawls with the security guards and other agents to display some marginal martial arts skills and a fantastic brawl with the wildest creature during a classic burning-down-the-castle finale that offers up some nice action and stunt-work with the final resolution. This really could've been a lot of fun if it wasn't so flawed.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
Good movie
montecristocount15 September 2005
Considering the time when the movie was made, it's special effects, sound, and style will be found good.
El Increible Profesor Zovek is considered the best escape Artist in all history in Mexico (a Houdini like), but in addition he was an extraordinary athlete, he performed in a live TV show 17,800 non stop sit ups in 8 hours (no tricks on it)and did the last 200 carrying his secretary on his hands over his head; he made another record by swimming more than 8 hours (uninterrupted) for another TV program, he could drag a series of eight cars using a biting piece and his teeth and he did it. He was a Martial Arts expert and even an instructor of the Mexican Army Military Police (he broke concrete blocks, woods and other stuff, which is not very surprising today, but the way he did it make it interesting, because before breaking his targets, he first stood in one foot over the targets lifting a woman, and that was a proof of the clean free-of-tricks exhibition). He was able to escape from chains, strait jackets and handcuffs without tricks or keys. So he became in late 60's early 70's a national hero, all kids were dreaming to be as strong and wise as Professor Zovek.
Producers took advantage of his popularity to start a series of movies with Zovek as a star (the first contract was for nine). They could make 1 and a half because he was killed in a very strange accident in March 1972; the audience respected and admired the Professor and they continued cheering his adventures in this movie and in "La invasion de los Muertos" (Mexican version of "The night of the living dead") with the Professor as central character so he was acting himself in both movies.
He couldn't finished the making of "La invasion de los muertos" because of his accident so they rewrote the script and called a Mexican wrestling star "Blue Demon" to finish it.
People knew that most of the amazing actions they saw on screen performed by Zovek were somehow part of his repertory.
You gonna enjoy watching this movie where Zovek demonstrates his abilities fighting a crazy scientist, Leobardo Druso (Jose Galvez) Nobel price in physics who wants to conquer the world using some kind of telepathic orders.
Dr. Druso has to kill to colleagues by placing a bomb in an airline flight, and he does because he needs to be free to continue with his experiments. Zovek is involved because he has been following the process of their work using his telepathic skills.
When Dr. Druso realizes that the Professor sent his secretary Virginia (Nubia Marti) and his driver Chano (German Valdez "Tin-Tan")to follow his men, he order his kidnapping to investigate and use the powerful mind of the professor.
Mexico 1971. Dir. Rene Cardona Screenplay Chano Urueta
El Increible Profesor Zovek is considered the best escape Artist in all history in Mexico (a Houdini like), but in addition he was an extraordinary athlete, he performed in a live TV show 17,800 non stop sit ups in 8 hours (no tricks on it)and did the last 200 carrying his secretary on his hands over his head; he made another record by swimming more than 8 hours (uninterrupted) for another TV program, he could drag a series of eight cars using a biting piece and his teeth and he did it. He was a Martial Arts expert and even an instructor of the Mexican Army Military Police (he broke concrete blocks, woods and other stuff, which is not very surprising today, but the way he did it make it interesting, because before breaking his targets, he first stood in one foot over the targets lifting a woman, and that was a proof of the clean free-of-tricks exhibition). He was able to escape from chains, strait jackets and handcuffs without tricks or keys. So he became in late 60's early 70's a national hero, all kids were dreaming to be as strong and wise as Professor Zovek.
Producers took advantage of his popularity to start a series of movies with Zovek as a star (the first contract was for nine). They could make 1 and a half because he was killed in a very strange accident in March 1972; the audience respected and admired the Professor and they continued cheering his adventures in this movie and in "La invasion de los Muertos" (Mexican version of "The night of the living dead") with the Professor as central character so he was acting himself in both movies.
He couldn't finished the making of "La invasion de los muertos" because of his accident so they rewrote the script and called a Mexican wrestling star "Blue Demon" to finish it.
People knew that most of the amazing actions they saw on screen performed by Zovek were somehow part of his repertory.
You gonna enjoy watching this movie where Zovek demonstrates his abilities fighting a crazy scientist, Leobardo Druso (Jose Galvez) Nobel price in physics who wants to conquer the world using some kind of telepathic orders.
Dr. Druso has to kill to colleagues by placing a bomb in an airline flight, and he does because he needs to be free to continue with his experiments. Zovek is involved because he has been following the process of their work using his telepathic skills.
When Dr. Druso realizes that the Professor sent his secretary Virginia (Nubia Marti) and his driver Chano (German Valdez "Tin-Tan")to follow his men, he order his kidnapping to investigate and use the powerful mind of the professor.
Mexico 1971. Dir. Rene Cardona Screenplay Chano Urueta
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