REEL RETRO CINEMA: The Phantom Planet
Before there was Star Wars, there was … THE PHANTOM PLANET!
REEL RETRO CINEMA — Danger: Diabolik
Think comics movies are cool now? You ain’t seen nothin …
REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks and their comic-book adaptations… — UPDATED 8/29/26: Disney’s Condorman premiered in the United States 45 years ago this month, on Aug. 7, 1981. Perfect time to reprint this piece from December 2018! Dig it. — Dan — By ROB KELLY Warning: There is no Condorman in this movie. OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. There’s not no Condorman in Condorman, just very little Condorman in Condorman. Future Phantom of the Opera Michael Crawford plays eccentric comic-book writer/artist/editor/publisher(!) Woody Wilkins, who insists on making sure everything he puts in his “Condorman” stories is believable. To test this theory, he goes so far as to create a fully functioning Condorman costume, and takes a leap off the Eiffel Tower to see if he can fly. The costume works, albeit briefly: After a few moments of slipping the surly bonds of Earth, one of his wings breaks and he crashes into the Seine. Hopefully you like this action scene, because it’s gonna have to last you, kids! Woody’s pal, a CIA file clerk named Harry (OG Teen Wolf dad James Hampton), soon asks him for a favor — to swap some top secret papers in Istanbul. While there, Woody meets Natalia Rambova (the vivacious Barbara Carrera), a KGB spy. Woody tells her he is a spy codenamed “Condorman”, and when he accidentally saves her life from being rubbed out by some fellow Russian agents (led by Oliver Reed!), Natalia decides to defect. She asks the CIA that this mysterious, brave “Condorman” be the agent that helps her get to the United States. Woody, in turn, is so taken with Natalia that he uses her as the inspiration for a new comic-book character, Laser Lady. Woody then agrees to help the CIA again, in exchange for them bankrolling some cool gadgets based on his outlandish designs. For most of its run time, 1981’s Condorman is a chase movie, as Oliver Reed’s character Krokov and his henchmen try and grab Woody and Natalia before they can escape to the safety of the U.S. There are scenes in Italy, Switzerland, France and Yugoslavia, where Woody’s clumsy bravery keeps him and Natalia from getting captured. In a last ditch effort, Woody dons a fully realized Condorman costume and flies Natalia to a speedboat in a final confrontation...
REEL RETRO CINEMA: A new look at old flicks and their comic book connections — on the 45th anniversary of For Your Eyes Only… — UPDATED 6/26/26: Hello, darling! For Your Eyes Only came out June 24, 1981, in the UK and June 26 in the US! Perfect time to reprint this column from 2015’s 007 WEEK. Now, do pay attention… — Dan — By ROB KELLY In 2006, the producers of the James Bond film franchise were universally praised for Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig in his first outing as 007. Tougher, rougher, and meaner than previous installments, it was clear that Eon Productions had shrewdly realized the excesses of the Bond films during Pierce Brosnan’s tenure (invisible cars, really?) needed to be reined in, lest the series become so silly that it could never recover. And make no mistake, Casino Royale deserves all the praise it received—but it’s worth taking a few moments to discuss another Bond film that was crafted for the same purpose, 1981’s For Your Eyes Only. For Your Eyes Only was originally scheduled to be Roger Moore’s fourth Bond film, following 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me (it was even promised as such at the end of that movie’s credits). But in between Spy’s production and release, 20th Century Fox unleashed Star Wars, a film whose impact on the movie business is still under-discussed (even after the 40 billion words that have been written about it). Eon Productions was still being run by Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, half of the team that first brought Bond to movie screens back in 1962 with Dr. No. Broccoli wasn’t afraid to chase a hot trend, so For Your Eyes Only was put on hold in favor of Moonraker, pretty much no one’s favorite Bond movie, Non-Ironic Division. Basically it’s The One Where Bond Goes Into Outer Space, and while it was a massive hit, fans of the series wondered just where the hell it could go after this. What’s next, James Bond vs. Michael Myers? Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and it was decided that for the next film, a more “back to basics” approach needed to be taken, for the long-term health of the franchise. Gone were the cartoony villains like Jaws, the outlandish gadgets, and the (literally) out-of-this-world settings. No, this time around, James Bond...
Before there was Star Wars, there was … THE PHANTOM PLANET!
Think comics movies are cool now? You ain’t seen nothin …