Fantomas Unleashed

This is more so and now its more of the zaniness, just comparison with the first movie a sight all over the place stuff goin on (the scientist stuff yawn) compared with the first movie's focus but more fun from the main principal characters.

'Fantomas Strikes Back' is a great period piece. While not as believable and scary as the original series opener a year earlier, the wonderful Rome locations more than compensate. The Fantomas films were shot in post-WWII Europe's heydays, when it looked like the future will be just as rosy.

This film came out the same year as the Bond flick 'Thunderball,' and can be considered French cinema's answer to the Anglophile 007 craze sweeping Europe and the world back then. The kidnapped scientist plot shows up in many Bond films, of course. But the best gimmick in any Fantomas film is Fantomas' ability to assume other people's identity at will by using high quality rubber face masks. And his own, featureless eerie green rubber mask is rather scary still.

BTW, does anyone know if the 'Fantomas' films are available on DVD?

Actually they are back. It is not just Fantomas but also Luis De Funes. Who at the beginning of this prematurely celebrates that they haven't heard from Fantomas in a while. Which must mean he is defeated ... doesn't it? Actually more like Mission Impossible, no? And no pun intended of course.

Fantomas is the one who is able to be everyone. With a neat trick when editing, that may not work as smooth as it did back then, he changes form and shape at times ... but hey: suspension of disbelief and all that. He may strike back, but the original remains the better movie. Even if the sequels did a good job too - sorry for the pun and something that cannot be said about the police work here ...

the tension from the first part becomes support for great humor. Fantomas becomes fascinating and entire story, with influences from the post WW II cinema theme of the kidnapped scientist , with the same commissaire Juve and seductive Helene, with Rome who remains the same great location, with the too realistic rubber masks. a film ideal for a genre of public looking the state of his youth. or for the young public, looking understand the universe of the grandparents. because Fantomas Unleashed remains, first, a great show. and this is the supreme virtue. for the great atmosphere. for the seductive scenes. for the predictable events. for the fine humor. so, a lovely film.

This episode is a bit average: there a lot of funny things but at the end, the movie fails to be a classic: this time you can see that the inspiration is clearly the Bond cousin across the channel, with an European plan, a high tech and hidden lair, a lot of gadgets but maybe it's the explanation, the movie drags terribly like the 007 movies: especially the final part that is wild action chase for about 15 minutes... Anyaway, the 3-hands outfit is funny, the Roma location is exotic and the 3 professors (all played by late Marais) is impossible to tell as it's really tricky...