u/boytisoy

People will say that the 70's were weak in terms of competition and thats why Kareem won those 5 MVPs due to lack of competition. While some of it is true, he still played against really solid bigs like Nate Thurmond, Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Bill Walton, Artis Gilmore, Wes Unseld, Bob Lanier, Dan Issel. He won those MVPs because he consistently outplayed a room full of future Hall of Fame giants. Dude was simply a 7-foot-2 alien with an elite track-athlete motor and a shot that literally couldn't be blocked.

Stuff like slapping someone's face, flicking a finger, pinching, accidentally bumping shoulders, or sitting on them go from being minor annoyances to a certified hospital visit or being buried. Dude's a walking anvil and that 300 pound weight feels much heavier and condensed on him as a short guy than if he were 6'5 or taller where the weight will be distributed over much larger bones and wider contact points.

Released in 1983, it's a superhero musical, yes, you heard that right, but it's also a mix of political and social satire that mocks American bureaucracy, military paranoia, and historical revisionism. The soundtrack being penned by Richard O’Brien and Richard Hartley, the creative minds behind The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you can hear and feel their influence.

I must commend Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee for such memorable performances and commitment to the absurd material. For actors with their legendary pedigrees, you'd assume they phone it in, but they treat the material given with respect.

Alan Arkin excelled as the disillusioned Captain Invincible. A patriotic icon akin to Captain America, he was once beloved, only to be persecuted by the House Un-American Activities Committee for "flying without a license" and being suspected of having communist leanings all because he wears a red cape during the 1950's McCarthy era. Retreating to Australia and spending decades as a homeless alcoholic that forgot how to fly, it's not until with the help of detective Patty Patria and the return of his arch-nemesis Mr. Midnight that he must find the will to once again become a hero and pull out of the gutter.

Of course, Christopher Lee plays the super villain with a cool name Mr. Midnight and he was awesome. No matter how low-budget or bizarre, you can count on him giving 100% of his effort and the quality shows. He channels his inner Dracula and Scaramanga to give Mr. Midnight a sense of danger that treats his absurd, cartoonish evil schemes with chilling, theatrical flair. Once he starts singing, it's a thing of beauty which is no surprise given he was a trained opera singer with that magnificent, rumbling bass-baritone voice. Hearing him sing a more upbeat and fast-paced song like Name Your Poison just adds to his aura.

I'm so glad to have discovered this cult classic movie. How I discovered it was actually quite silly. I was curious if Christopher Lee sang other types of songs that were not usually his style. One search on the internet, lo and behold, Return of Captain Invincible popped up.