Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)

Directed by Michael Anderson. Starring Ron Ely, William Lucking, Michael Miller, Darrell Zwerling, Paul Gleason, Eldon Quick, Paul Wexler, Pamela Hensley, Janice Heiden, Bob Corso, (voice) Paul Frees. [G]

This big-screen adventure for pulp paperbacks/comics hero Doc Savage plays like a cross-section of goofy matinée serial cliffhangers and the campy “Batman” TV show, but with all the charm and humor sucked right out. Silly adventure story moves at a leaden pace as Doc Savage (Ely) and his “Fabulous Five” team head for Central America and do battle with the nefarious Captain Seas (Wezler). Had the potential to be zany fun, a throwback to a bygone era of innocence and simplistic good-vs.-evil heroics, but there’s no lift or style or imagination, and the acting is just as mucky as the plotting. It’s also unwelcoming to outsiders—you may not need a BA to solve the riddles of escapism, but those unfamiliar with the old stories aren’t given proper introductions to these characters, their backgrounds, their motivations, their powers/specialties, etc. And, come on, are they serious with the John Philip Sousa marches on the soundtrack, repurposed with triumphant Doc Savage-oriented lyrics? Producer George Pal’s final film.

28/100