8/10
Only the suit remains from the comic in a great pure nonsense serial full of fantastic action
3 July 2008
Yes it's the Captain America of the comics, but only in regard to the suit. Instead of a super soldier fighting Nazi's here we have a district attorney fighting the scarab who is killing off the members of an archaeological expedition using a gas that leave purple blotches. Starring Dick Purcell as the Captain and Lionel Atwill as the Scarab this is neat little serial. Neat as in fun, not in regard to story. Well acted and well filmed, the story is a complete nonsensical mess. Nothing makes any real sense, trust me your brain will go into knots if you take it seriously, even on its own terms. Mostly you watch it because of the cast having such a great time and because the action is some of the best in any serial. The action scenes are huge explosions of chaos that seem bigger and more dangerous then almost any other chapter play. Usually they end in wild cliffhangers that are so daunting that the only way for the hero to escape is for the filmmakers to cheat. And cheat they do. There is a reason that the documentaries I've seen on serials use footage from this film to illustrate how the serials cheated, namely almost every cliffhanger involves a cheat. Even though it makes no sense and the cliffhangers cheat this is still a blast to watch. There is something to put on when you want some mindless (wholesome) action. Recommended.
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