Sometimes you just have to go off the beaten trail when you are looking for some decent entertainment that won’t bore you to death too terribly. This goes double for comic book movies. This brings me to this article’s subject matter.
THE SUPER INFRAMAN
(1975)
Country: China (Hong Kong)
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin & U.S. Dubbed
88 min
Directed by Shan Hua
Cinematography by Tadashi Nishimoto
Produced by Run Me Shaw (Run Run Shaw)
Written by Kuang Ni
Featuring: Danny Lee (Inframan), Bruce Le, Terry Liu (Princess Dragonmum), Hap Wong, Yuan Man-Tzu, Lin Wen-wei, Shu-Yi Tsen, Chien-Lung Huang & Lu Sheng
This Chinese superhero/ Kung-fu / exploitation movie was introduced to me on a 1980’s edition of Siskel & Ebert’s “AT THE MOVIES” Television show in an episode entitled “MOVIES I WAS ASHAMED TO ADMIT I LIKED.”
Let’s just say that the trailer for this low budget movie blew my adolescent socks right off. I would spend the next several years drawing variations of Inframan’s costume in home made comics.
The Super Inframan (simplified Chinese: 中国超人; traditional Chinese: 中國超人; pinyin: ZhōngGuóChāoRén, translated literally as Chinese Superman) is a Hong Kong tokusatsu-style superhero movie produced by Shaw Brothers Studio in 1975. Based upon the huge success of the Japanese tokusatsu shows, Ultraman and Kamen Rider, in Hong Kong, this film features the same type of "henshin" and monster/robot action and costumed derring-do, coupled with Chinese kung fu action.
This film also has some historical importance:
• The first superhero movie in China
• The first movie promotion in Hong Kong using a hot air balloon
• The first Shaw Brothers production using a storyboard
(Wikipedia entry)
THE PLOT
The Demon Princess Elzebub (Dragonmum in the U.S. version.) Plots to conquer the Earth. She destroys a few major cities in Hong Kong to prove her power to a terror-stricken humanity. Returning to her lair in Inner-Earth, she awakens her army of Skeleton Ghosts and her various Ice Monsters to wreak havoc. But there is hope . . .
The high-tech Science Headquarters run by Professor Liu Ying De. In view of the current crisis, he has at long last completed and is prepared to use the BDX Project: In the HQ's secret laboratory, he transforms Lei Ma (Raymar in the U.S. Version) , a high-ranking SH officer, into the bionic kung fu superhero, the Inframan!
Able to perform impossible feats, as well as being equipped with death-dealing weapons, the solar-powered red & silver armored Inframan is mankind's only hope against Elzebub and her army of devils.
NOTE: Regarding the HERO
If I had to describe Inframan … I’d say he was like a Chinese HIGH ACTION version of Iron Man. This movie hero was loaded with high impact acrobatic moves and a various assortment of weaponry designed to bring the pain.
One of the things I loved about this movie as a kid was that Inframan displayed a sadistic side when it came to the various monsters and mutants he fought over the course of the film.
Simply put … If you weren’t human, he showed you no mercy.
The Powers of Inframan
Lei Ma throws his arms into a Kamen Rider-like "henshin" pose, and says:
• "Change! Inframan!" (變！超人) (Mandarin: "Bian! Chao Ren", Cantonese: "Bin! Chiu Yan")
His powers & attacks are (Mandarin/Cantonese):
• 噴火彈 (Pen Huo Dan/Pan Fo Daan) Erupting Bullet(s)
o The missiles stored below Inframan's ribs. He throws them like darts, and they can also thaw him out when he's frozen.
• 太陽甲 (Tai Yang Jia/Taai Yeung Gaap) Solar Armor (AKA: Sun Ja)
o The stream of light that Inframan shoots from his wrist (when crossing them together like Ultraman's Spacium Light Ray).
• 追魂腿 (Zhui Hun Tui/Jeui Wan Teui) Guided Kick (literally "Chase Soul Leg")
o Inframan's kick attack; this can also locate its targeted enemy like a guided missile.
• 能量發揮 (Neng Liang Fa Hui/Nang Leung Faat Fai) Capacity Transmission (literally "Capacity Quantity Emit Direct")
o Inframan activates his backup power source, in case of lack of solar power.
• 閃電拳 (Shan Dian Quan/Sim Din Kyun) Flashing Thunder Fists (AKA: Thunder Fists, Thunderball Fists)
o Later attachments for Inframan; Shiny black & metallic gloves that go over his regular ones. They also shoot right off his fists (to shatter its enemy) and retract again (much like Mazinger Z's Rocket Punch). They also have the following weapons:
死光刀 (Si Guang Dao/Sei Gwong Dou) Deadly Light Blades
The red moon-shaped energy blades that stream from the Flashing Thunder Fists.
雷電光 (Lei Dian Guang/Leui Din Gwong) Thunder & Lighting Aura
Like the Solar Armor, but more bold and powerful.
• Inframan also has the amazing power to grow to giant size, similar to Ultraman's Power to change size.
NOTE: Regarding the Villains
PRINCESS DRAGON MUM steals every scene she is in even when she is doing little more than barking orders to her mutant subordinates. In the U.S. dubbed version, the voice actor re-recording her lines manifests a ragged, shrewish voice full of rage. This effectively sets her up as the pre-ultimate BIG BAD so that later in the movie when she has a final death duel with the hero, it comes off as entirely plausible in this movie’s universe.
PRINCESS DRAGONMUM
PRINCESS DRAGONMUM
(Her TRUE FORM)
The Princess is one of those rare bad guys that are presented as literally tougher and more powerful than her subordinates. When the final donnybrook breaks out between Inframan and her soldiers, Dragonmum is right there in the middle of the action.
Ice Monsters (冰河怪獸)
• Fire Dragon (噴火龍) A green humanoid dragon (wearing a horned crown) that shoots fire from his mouth.
• Spider Monster (蜘蛛怪) A fat red spider creature that shoots web-bombs and acid from its mouth, and grows to giant size.
• Plant Monster (植物怪) A teal vine-like monster that plants itself into the ground and grows into giant killer vines.
• Mutant Drill (穿山怪) A horned blue mole-like monster with a drill for a hand and a shovel-like claw for another.
• Long-Haired Monster (長髮怪) A red witch-like demon with long hair and huge horns that shoot yellow beams.
• Iron Armor Monsters (鐵甲怪) Two mechanical knight-like monsters, whose heads and right-hands spring forth (with coils) to strike their enemy and retract again.
HENCH MEN
• Witch-Eye (電眼魔女) Elzebub's beautiful-but-deadly servant. Has a horned helmet and eyes on her palms that shoot green beams (hypnotic or destructive). (in the US English dubbed version, she is called She-Demon.)
• Skeleton Ghosts (白骨幽靈) The obligatory generic henchmen (cannon fodder). Dressed in black and white skeleton suits and wear horned crash helmets. They also carry staffs.
The villains I have to admit are somewhat goofy looking, but I was a kid and this was when parent groups were in their infancy. Still, I would literally have to wait until this movie hit video before I was able to finally view it.
Was it worth the wait?
One final foot note from Roger Ebert:
On April 23, 1999, Quentin Tarantino re-released Mighty Peking Man in North America through his Rolling Thunder Pictures distribution company with Miramax. Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of a possible four in the Chicago Sun-Times, and, amusingly, actually upgraded his rating for the thematically similar Infra-Man:
"Mighty Peking Man is very funny, although a shade off the high mark of Infra-Man, which was made a year earlier, and is my favorite Hong Kong monster film. Both were produced by the legendary Runme Shaw, who, having tasted greatness, obviously hoped to repeat. I find to my astonishment that I gave Infra-Man only two and a half stars when I reviewed it.
That was 22 years ago, but a fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that film.
I am awarding Mighty Peking Man three stars, for general goofiness and a certain level of insane genius, but I cannot in good conscience rate it higher than Infra-Man. So, in answer to those correspondents who ask if I have ever changed a rating on a movie: Yes, Infra-Man moves up to three stars.
SPOILER ALERT!!
[IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO GO OUT AND FIND A COPY OF THIS MOVIE … DON’T CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW.]
I’ll let you decide … please rate and comment.
... shadowgeek10 fades back into the shadows once more ....