The Return of Captain Invincible

Captain Invincible was a superhero who nigh on won World War Two single handed. After the war he was tried for numerous offenses including supporting Communism (by fighting the Nazis...), impersonating a captain and showing his underpants. He walked out of his trial and vanished.

Years later when his evil arch-enemy Mr. Midnight once again menaces the world (or at least New York) with a dastardly scheme he is discovered living in a squat in Australia. Now a disillusioned alcoholic, can Captain Invincible regain control of his long-unused and erratic superpowers in time to stop this fiend and make the world safe again?

A musical B-movie comedy starring Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee.


 * Affectionate Parody: Of quite a number of superhero tropes.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Supporting Communism, Impersonating a military officer and Showing your underpants.
 * The Alcoholic: After the government and public of America turn against him, the Captain spends years Drowning His Sorrows in the Australian Outback.
 * Mr. Midnight even gets a song to showcase Captain Invincible's weakness for alcohol, reducing him to tears in the process.
 * Better Than It Sounds
 * The Cast Showoff: Christopher Lee said in his autobiography that the main reason he did the film was that he'd never previously had an opportunity to show his musical abilities on-screen. "Name Your Poison" (the song linked above) even gives him lines in German and Italian to show off his command of multiple languages.
 * Cluster F-Bomb: The "Bullshit" song. Very simple lyrics.
 * Cold War: Certain high ranking officials automatically blame Russia for Mr Midnight's actions.
 * Deconstruction: of superheroes.
 * Forgot the Call: With the help of an ungodly amount of strong liquor.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Dracula sings! (spoiler)
 * Hurricane of Puns: "Name Your Poison", again. A veritable bar(rage) of cocktail puns.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: What does Captain Invincible say after surviving a snake pit, alligator pit and even a giant peach pit? "Well, that was really the pits!"
 * Kick the Dog: Mister Midnight provides a wonderfully pure example, as after reducing the Captain to a helpless wretch by tempting him with a truly beautiful bar, he hands him...a can of Sterno.
 * Larynx Dissonance: Christopher Lee briefly appears as a woman as part of a hallucination. His voice doesn't change.
 * Local Reference: Despite casting American and British actors as the iconic hero and villain characters, this is an Australian film, hence Captain Invincible hiding out in the Outback. Lead actress Kate Fitzpatrick, playing detective Patty Patria, was known for playing a police constable in the 1970s Australian series Boney. Hugely popular comedian and talk show host Graham Kennedy was cast in a cameo role as the Prime Minister of Australia. Australian cinema icon Bill Hunter and television comedy star Max Cullen also appear in minor roles.
 * Mental Affair: the big-headed aliens who give the Captain his powers during his conception seem to get off on the process, though his parents don't seem to even notice they're there.
 * The Nudifier: Captain Invincible isn't as skilled with his magnetic powers anymore. Metal fasteners are a bad idea.
 * Old Superhero
 * Selective Magnetism
 * Shoulders of Doom: Smaller than most but still undeniably part of the Captain's outfit.
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: The film travels along the sliding scale.
 * Stuff Blowing Up: When the woman who discovered him bends over, Captain Invincible's magnetic powers inadvertently make household appliances explode.
 * Underwear of Power: He's prosecuted for them.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: See Stuff Blowing Up above.
 * Villain Song / "The Villain Sucks" Song: "Evil Midnight" manages to be both of these tropes at once.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Watching this, one has to wonder how many recovering alcoholics are covered by this trope.
 * The X of Y