after watergate and vietnam and the dark day of the nixon and jimmy carter era and what the world need be a good old fashion chapter play hero take on venomous serpent and evildoer in the america of 1936 or the jungle of south america in a series of fantastic cliffhanging adventure . unfortunately what it get in 1975 be doc savage and the man of bronze . perhaps the best that can be say of legendary producer george pal final film be that his often beautifully design but sadly flat adaptation of kenneth robeson pulp paperback novel probably have george lucas and phil kaufman leave the theatre and say to each other we can do good than that and and add a bullwhip and a battered fedora and some much need character flaw to the mix . a big part of the problem be that doc savage be in many way even hard to write for than superman explorer and adventurer and philanthropist and a scientific and intellectual genius in the bronzed bleach blonde bulletproof muscle bound body of a greek god ( or rather the form of tv tarzan and ron ely and a rather dull charlton heston clone here ) and there simply nothing he can not do and and more damagingly and nothing that can harm him . the man be the virtual incarnation of hitler aryan ubermensch ( no surprise that the dvd be only available in germany . ) and albeit with all american value . and just in case there should ever be anything he overlook ( not that there ever be ) he have not one but five sidekick in his entourage and the ( less than ) fabulous five . a chemist and an electrician and even an archaeologist i can accept and and at a stretch i could possibly even go as far a to see the possible need for a construction engineer and but what kind of hero take a criminal lawyer with him on his adventure . in reality doc brain trust be probably add because with the hero so tiresomely invulnerable and practically perfect in every way even kryptonite wouldn not put a dent in him there need to be someone at risk in the story and though with the exception of paul gleason theyre all so horribly badly cast and overplayed ( a be most part in the film ) you would happily kill them all off during the opening title . the villain fare no good and with paul wexler exude all the menace of a geography teacher a captain sea and scott walker ( no and a different one ) deliver one of cinema bad accent ( be it mean to be scottish and irish and welsh and greek and pakistani or some nationality no one have ever hear of . ) while robyn hilton marilyn monroe ish dumb blonde moll give paris ( no relation ) a run for her money in the untalented bimbo stake . even with those drawback and this should have be much good than it be consider the various ingredient lose tribe and a pool of gold and a dogfight with a biplane and a deadly poison that come alive and all wrap up in a quest to discover why doc father be murder . unfortunately it a question of tone represent in the 60 and 70 pulp superheroes weren not brood figure prone to state of the art action scene and special effect but be treat a somewhat comical figure of low budget camp fun with action scene quickly knock off on the cheap almost a an afterthought and the film aim purely at the matinée market represent you know and for kid . there have long be rumour that the original cut be more straight face and certainly much of the camp value have be add in post production and be it the colgate twinkle in doc eye and the comical caption identify various fight style in the final dust up with captain sea or don black gung ho lyric to john philip sousa patriotic march but plenty be in the film to begin with . after all and it hard to see how one of the villain underling make phone call from a giant rocking crib be ever intend a anything other than a joke that fall flat and while doc explanation to pamela hensley of why he never date girl could be a scene write for adam west batman . instead and the funny moment be usually purely unintentional and such a doc display his sixth sense by and er and bob his adam apple . perhaps an even big problem be that and while promise on paper and the action be handle in an almost relentlessly mundane fashion and be it chase a native assassin on the rooftop of new york skyscraper or escape from a yacht full of bad guy . even the win notion of animated glow green snake swirl through the air a they poison their victim fails to raise any enthusiasm from director michael anderson represent have demonstrate their own invulnerability a couple of scene earlier and doc manages to dispatch them with no more than a chair and an electric fan by simply pull the curtain on them . still and aside from doc various vehicle all stamp with his logo and look more moulded plastic than bronze and the production design be often rather handsome even if it be very obviously l. a. standing in for new york while fred koenekamp cinematography ensure the film often look good despite the low budget . and it good to see a superhero movie that doesn not spend most of it running time on an origin story and though one be leave with the suspicion that doc spring fully form from the loin of zeus himself . it a film i would really like to like more and but it just feel like 100 minute of lose opportunity . no wonder doc savage and the arch enemy of evil and the sequel so optimistically promise in the end credit and never happen .