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THE
ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN ZOOM IN OUTER SPACE
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Article by F. Cope
This frothy, lighthearted
romp is deliberately corny and stylishly over-acted.
The film begins with
the rebels of the Planet Pangea launching an attack against their rulers.
Their leader Tyra is captured and taken to a space ship which
circles the planet; it is the flagship of the evil despot, Lord Vox
(Ron Perlman). In purple robes and aluminium stomacher (with some reference
to a six pack), this villain glares through startling eye make-up as
he expresses his desire for the beautiful Tyra while sampling
her blood, drawn from her throat by a long finger-nail.(Those claws
again!).
Back at the rebel camp
Tyra's kid brother must find a hero to save them all. His gizmo
picks up a TV programme from a distant planet.
Captain Zoom,
a bargain basement version of Christopher Reeve's 'Superman,' fights
the Lizard King and advertises Chocko-Socko. Suddenly
Zoom is transported from his comic book show to be the savior
of Pangea.
Lord Vox is confidently
reclining in his chamber eating grapes and inspecting his skimpily clad
captive, Tyra. With much gloating and teeth-baring Vox
offers to share his throne, his amorous advances are answered with a
judo throw. The voice Ron Perlman uses for this part is a splendid blend
of resonance and oiliness.
The High Priestess, Vesper,
enters as Vox sprawls on his sofa. With her psychic powers she
'sees' the arrival of Captain Zoom on the planet below. Lord
Vox prepares to meet this new enemy.
Zoom, the chosen
hero, runs away from his task to be challenged by a water monster (Nessie?)
and then captured by Lord Vox's troops. He is taken to the flagship.
Electric shock treatment will force the hero to tell the truth. 'Fry
him!' orders Vox, but Vesper wants to lose her 'pureness'.
Vesper has lost
her psychic powers but tries to hide the fact from Vox. Tyra
helps Captain Zoom to escape back to the planet surface.
Lord Vox is supine,
attended by four damsels, he is not amused when his guards rush in with
the news that his captives have escaped. Vesper's 'sin' is uncovered,
Vox banishes her and she joins the rebels.
After more adventures
and help from the Gate Keepers, a blind race who live underground, the
rebels find the Temple of Rea, where the secrets of the ancients are
kept. Lord Vox and his guards have followed the rebels. There
is a fight between the two forces, Lord Vox and Captain Zoom
wrestle; the High Priestess Vesper is accidentally killed.
Now Vox has the
chance to gain total power, he wants to be 'The First Emperor of Everything'.
Unexpectedly Captain Zoom fools Lord Vox into claiming
the sword of Rea. The Stone god rises and picks up the wriggling figure
of Vox who turns to stone. The last sight we have of Lord
Vox is his severed stone head lying on the temple floor.
Captain Zoom accepts
the secrets of the ancients, setting the rebels free to challenge oppression
and evil.
'Captain Zoom' is a comic
book comedy with enjoyable parodies of American TV stereotypes. Of note
is the improbable dialogue, eg. Lord Vox 'I want a front seat at
the Apocalypse', and 'I love the smell of burning flesh.'
Captain Zoom says he might have been 'Just another chiseled profile
in the crowd.' (Does the quote sound familiar?)
Comments have been made
in previous issues of 'Perlman's Progress' about parts we might like
to see Ron Perlman play. Lord Vox is clearly a villain in the best British
pantomime tradition, one to be booed with relish. He could reappear
as a Demon King, a Bluebeard or even as a Captain Hook to make us forget
all others.
[Previously
published in the "Perlman's Progress" fan magazine,
October, 2000.]