SANTO VS. BLUE DEMON IN ATLANTIS (1970)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *sociological*

Yes, Santo and Blue Demon have some real fights (as opposed to wrestling-bouts) in this film. No, there is no "Atlantis" in the film; just an island with a big installation on it that gets blown up at the climax, yet doesn't even pretend to sink beneath the sea. One review claims that the installation was built on the ruins of lost Atlantis but I don't remember any dialogue to that effect, and even if it's true the fact has zero relevance to the story.

The installation is the center from which the madman Achilles threatens to destroy civilization with nuclear devastation if the civilized countries don't yield to him. For some reason the united nations can't strike back at his island fortress, so they need Santo to contact a good scientist to counteract the schemes of the bad one.

But Achilles-- actually an ex-Nazi genius who keeps himself young with a unique de-aging treatment-- anticipates the intervention of Santo and Santo's Blue Demon. While the two heroes are engaging in a ring-bout (one which Blue Demon seems particularly stoked to win), the agents of Achilles try to drug them both. But the henchmen only manage to drug and abduct the Demon. Once the Demon has been transported to the Phony Atlantis, Achilles first subjects him to a wrestling-contest against a big plug-ugly. Then the madman enslaves Blue Demon with hypnosis, so that the former hero joins with Achilles' minions in seeking to destroy Santo.

This Mexican production is pretty much on the same level as the Eurospy programmers that reigned in the late sixties: a few decent production values but also some rinky-dink technology. Only one aspect of the script shows a little imagination, in that Achilles gives all of his acolytes the names of Greek myth-figures. The narration explains, correctly, that German Nazis rooted their idea of eugenic perfection on the model of idealized Greek heroes. Having tossed out that nugget, however, the film does nothing with it. There are also a few good-looking female characters but they don't have enough to do to make them stand out, and that includes the one who dresses in lingerie in an attempt to seduce the Silver Mask.

ATLANTIS is a decent time-killer, nothing more. One of the two scriptwriters also worked on about half a dozen other Santo films and two Blue Demons.