Mandroid

THE STORY: I get the feeling that whoever came up with this story read a lot of comic books.

Dr. Zimmer and Dr. Drago and their assistant Benjamin Knight have created a super-powerful robot called the Mandroid. they've also created a new element called Supercon. Supercon powers Mandroid. Working in eastern Europe they are willing to sell their invention to the US. Well, Zimmer is, Drago on the other hand is mad with ambition and insists that the creations are his. Dr. Wade, an American scientist and Joe Smith a CIA agent are sent to evaluate the Mandroid. Wade becomes infatuated with Zimmer's daughter, Zanna. The demonstration is a big success. Drago has other plans however. When Joe refuses to make a deal with him alone for the Mandroid, Drago tries to steal it and the Supercon element. He is interrupted by Ben and nearly kills him, knocking him into the container of the element. Zanna comes in the room and catches Drago trying to make off with a the element and fires at him. She hits the element's container, spraying Drago  with the exotic material. Drago runs off screaming into the night. Disfigured by the accident Drago and a homeless mute he finds scheme to get the Mandroid and the supercon. Drago manages to break in again and steal the Mandroid. He uses the robot to go back AGAIN and kidnap Joe. He tells Wade and Zanna that if Zimmer doesn't hand over all of the Supercon research he will kill Joe. While all this is going on, Ben's condition worsens....the weird elements he was exposed to are turning him invisible. Joe pretends to be going along with Drago's plan...he promises him a a [unwrite]load of money for the Supercon and the Mandroid. Zimmer, seeing no alternative goes to meet Drago and give him the formula on microfilm. Of course, he takes Wade, Zanna and a bunch of cops with him. Using the Mandroid, Drago meets Zimmer in a derelict part of the country. (lots of old crumbling buildings) Drago gets the formula and shoots Zimmer. Joe tries to stop him, but the Mandroid is too strong. The police and Wade and Joe chase the Mandroid into the buildings where the mute guns down a lot of cops. Joe gets killed just as he kills the mute. The Mandroid suffers minor damage and when it attacks Wade he manages to damage it more...enough to shut it down...but then Drago appears and shoots Wade a few times. before he can finish Wade off, Wade throws a grenade and collapses the roof on Drago. Is it over? Not hardly. We find that Wade has been confined to a wheelchair by his injuries and he and Zanna continue their research with the Mandroid. Drago, although he was crushed by a few tons of concrete is with a prostitute....I guess we'll only find out how he survived by renting the sequel..."Invisible: the Adventures of Benjamin Knight!".

Drago must have been modeled after Dr. Doom*. He wears an iron mask to hide his deformity and has the typical mad scientist's toady in the mute. I guess hunchback's are a little too cliche so they made him mute. To be honest, I really want to see this Benjamin Knight movie now...this flick was corny enough. The sequel has got to be full of cheese.

Best Lines: "What's wrong?...hahahaha! Come! Kiss me!"-Drago to the hooker when he reveals his face. guess mad scientists gotta have it too!

1.) The US only sends two guys to view this monumental discovery? Only two?! One guy, Joe, isn't even a scientist! Even after Drago starts causing problems Joe doesn't get more CIA types to guard what has to be an incredible breakthrough. vehicles in the motor pool receive more protection than the Mandroid did. No wonder Drago stole it. If I was there I would have too. It was like stealing candy from a baby!

2.) This movie must have had an almost zero budget since most of it takes place in Zimmer's house/ lab. What gets me is that these people live there but they store all of this superdangerous Supercon stuff there too? Don't you need a license or something to store potentially dangerous radioactive stuff? I don't care what country its supposed to be, that's just plain kooky!

3.) Supercon (what a dumb name) is made of...get this...mushrooms! Mushrooms that are found in a rock wall in a cave! How the [unwrite] do mushrooms grow INSIDE solid rock? I realize there are probably mushrooms that will make people think that that its a super powerful energy source if -ahem- used properly, but they don't grow inside of granite.

4.) Wade chews gum in a very annoying way...and he chews it a lot!

NUDITY AND SEX: The prostitute with Drago shows her tits for a second.

HUH?: Dialogue lets us know that the Mandroid's remote control can operate from a distance of 50 miles. So why the hell did Drago even go near the exchange with Zimmer? He could have been at least fifty miles away.

Speaking of the exchange, Zimmer must have known that the weapons the police had wouldn't affect the Mandroid! I'm not saying I have a better plan, but Zimmer's plan was tantamount to suicide for the police.

Zimmer wants to keep Ben's turning invisible a secret. Too late for that you would think. He's in a hospital!

The police chief doesn't protest too much when Joe tells him no ambulances or anything after Drago steals the Mandroid and wrecks the van with Zanna and wade in it. This isn't the US so a CIA agent really can't tell the local police what to do. The chief doesn't protest much however. Pushover.

How many times does Drago have to break into the lab for these idiots to take even some minor security precautions?

THE TALLY: Its pretty goofy. The logic and science in this movie make little sense, but if you look at it as a live action comic book it seems to fit in that niche. Fortunately this movie is stupid enough to be kind of funny. I'm not kidding about the Benjamin Knight movie...it was announced in the credits and I think I actually saw it at the video store!