Adventures of Captain Marvel

It has decent special effects and a fine story. A classic desert adventure, including angry horde, offended god, and stalwart hero. The flying sequences are well done. The cliff hangers are appropriately dramatic. The Scorpion is a nice serial villain, complete with hooded face and ultimate weapon, and Captain Marvel remains my favorite hero.

If you like serials or Captain Marvel you really can't go wrong with this.


Marvelous Captain   December 29, 2000
Paul M. Dellinger (Wytheville, VA USA)
39 out of 39 found this review helpful

Movie serials were written for youngsters but, as screenwriter Barry Shipman observed, this was not a putdown: "No, it's for the 12-year-old in all of us." Republic did them best, and "Adventures of Captain Marvel" is one of Republic's best (some say THE best). The flying superhero is based on a 1940s to 1950s comic book character, who went out of business after being sued by DC, the publishers of Superman, as a ripoff (in more recent years, he has been acquired and revived by DC; go figure). DC had a chance to have Superman serialized at Republic, but passed (the script was revised to become "The Mysterious Dr. Satan" with a non-super hero); Superman serials later came from Columbia with cartoon flying sequences. When the promoters of the Chris Reeve/Superman movie said it would be the first time audiences would believe a man could fly, they obviously hadn't seen the Captain Marvel serial.


Shazam! It's Captain Marvel vs. The Scorpion   April 7, 2000
Zack Davisson (Seattle, WA, USA)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful

Definitely the finest of the old-time movie serials, and the finest live action version of Captain Marvel. This movie was voted by Wizard magazine as the best comics-to-movie adaptation ever.

It has decent special effects and a fine story. A classic desert adventure, including angry horde, offended god, and stalwart hero. The flying sequences are well done. The cliff hangers are appropriately dramatic. The Scorpion is a nice serial villain, complete with hooded face and ultimate weapon, and Captain Marvel remains my favorite hero.

If you like serials or Captain Marvel you really can't go wrong with this.


Still gives me a thrill   March 31, 2003
L. Bruce (Madison, MS)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

My father bought this serial for me on videotape many years ago. He knew I was a devoted fan of yShazam,y the now-laughable Saturday morning live-action program that aired on CBS for a few years.

The serial changed my appreciation for Captain Marvel and introduced me to the concept of the cliffhanger. It is, quite simply, the best of the old Matinee Serials. I was thrilled when I found a yfreshy copy on tape through Amazon a few years ago.

The effects for the early 40s are quite good, even after watching them again in 2002, some 22 years after seeing it for the first time. A warning to parents, though: Violence is quite rampant; the Cap'n doesn't think twice about belting the bad guy or even picking up a machine gun to finish the job.

Highly recommended, though, for anyone who's a fan of Shazam, comic books or cinema from the period. Top notch.


"most amazing serial ever produced on the screen for its time ~ Captain Marvel"   September 29, 2005
J. Lovins (Missouri-USA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Republic Pictures present C.C. Beck's comic strip hero "Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941) (Dolby digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences...the best directors in serials are John English and William Witney, with screenplay by C.C. Beck (comic strip) and Bill Parker (comic strip), Ronald Davidson, Norman S. Hall, Arch Heath, Joseph F. Poland, Sol Shor...the cast Tom Tyler (Captain Marvel), Frank Coghlan Jr (Billy Batson ), William "Billy" Benedict (Whitey Murphy), Louise Carrie (Betty Wallace), Robert Strange (John Malcolm), Harry Worth (Prof. Luther Bentley), John Davidson (Tal Chotali), George Pembroke (Dr. Stephen Lang), Reed Hadley (Rahman Bar), Kenne Duncan (Barnett), Niegel De Brulier (Shazam), Gerald Mohr (Scorpion's voice), Bud Geary (Pete - caretaker at Lang's estate), Ed Cassidy (Capt. Dodge), Ernest Sarrcino (Akbar)...the plot is an exciting one as a scientific expedition to Siam places young Billy Batson at the right place at the right time...who is this strange Wizard Shazam that gave him super powers to become the worlds mightest mortal known as Captain Marvel....will his powers only last until the Golden Scorpion idol is recovered...can the hooded figure "The Scorpion" be stopped...has Billy Batson a plan that can save the world from the five lenses of the super powerful weapon of destruction...remember "SHAZAM" is the magic password to 12 startling and amazing never to be forgotten episodes..."Captain Marvel" fighting to save the world from destruction as "The Scorpion" plans to rule the world and discover Captain Marvel's secret...this is the most amazing serial ever produced on the screen for its time...if you're a fan of serials or old action flicks this is a sure fire winner...keep that thought as each chapter is more exciting than the previous one...stayed tuned and don't miss any of the exciting chapters.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Curse of The Scorpion
2. The Guillotine
3. Time Bomb
4. Death Takes the Wheel
5. The Scorpion Strikes
6. Lens of Death
7. Human Targets
8. Boomerang
9. Dead Man's Trap
10.Doom Ship
11.valley of Death
12.Captain Marvel's Secret

SPECIAL FEATURES:
ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL TRAILER:
(Captain Marvel original theatrical trailer of this feature has not been fully restored)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...if you enjoyed this serial check out the newest release from VCI Entertainment and Columbia Pictures present "Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere" (1951) (digitally remastered), 15 Chapters.finally for the first time on video the really great Columbia Serial that broke the mold...we have everything a serial fan would want...the tinted sequences by Cinecolor and unique inventions that were unlike any other serial out there in the '50s...another exciting release from VCI Entertainment and Columbia Pictures present Lee Falk's comic strip "The Phantom " (1943) (Dolby digitally remastered), 15 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences...story line has the successor to the old Phantom with his son and our new hero Tom Tyler aka The Phantom, Tyler looks great in the costume and the action sequences...get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for...pick one up from VCI Entertainment or Amazon.Com...get yours today!.

Great job by Lions Gate Home Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s vintage serial era...order your copy now from Amazon top notch serial from...and check out VCI Entertainment for more serial releases from the '30s, '40s and '50s...just the way you like 'em!

Total Time: 216 mins on DVD ~ Lions Gate Home Entertainment 14620 ~ (12/16/2003)