Black Scorpion (1995)

In the fictional City of Angels, a cop recklessly shoots a doctor being held hostage by a desperate fugitive. Years later, that cop's daughter Darcy Walker grows up to be a devoted, albeit rule breaking, cop just like her father. But when Darcy's suspended from the force and her father is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Darcy becomes the vigilante Black Scorpion with the aide of her car thief helper Argyle. Just as she settles into her gig as Black Scorpion, though, Darcy must battle the Breathtaker, a madman in a bizarre life-support suit bent on poisoning the city's air.

This movie was produced by Roger Corman, producer of literally hundreds of B-movies and low-grade clones of popular films, and, true to Corman's reputation, Black Scorpion shamelessly rips off the Batman franchise. The acting is passable, but not too good by any means. The plot is riddled with inconsistencies and obvious impossibilities. The action scenes are campy, and in fact the movie in general reads like a stereotypical "Bad Girl" superhero comic most diehard supporters of that medium despise for keeping people from taking comic books in general seriously.

That said...I loved every minute of this movie.

Maybe it's just because there's a soft spot in my heart for camp involving spandex and goofy supervillains, or maybe it's because there really aren't that many entries in the softcore erotic comic book action-comedy genre. Whatever the reason, this is one entertaining film. As you'd expect, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, so many of the plot inconsistencies (such as Darcy's ability to make an entire costume out of household items and give herself inexplicable powers with just a tazer and a ring) aren't too much of an issue.

I found this movie in the Erotic Thrillers section, which is somewhat misleading. Outside of seeing a lot of Joan Severance in an outfit that leaves nothing to the imagination and a brief sex scene, there isn't much to put Black Scorpion in the same category as, say, Cinemax's after-midnight fare. Still, as far as superheroes go, Black Scorpion is refreshingly amoral. She sometimes executes criminals that could otherwise be easily captured and, in a high speed chase by local cops, willingly leads them into a car crash (although Black Scorpion's cop killing tendencies aren't as blatant as they will be in the sequel). But it's in Darcy's sexual pursuit of her partner Michael we see it even more. Darcy's radical solution to the classic "s/he loves my costumed identity but not my civilian identity" problem would make Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne cringe. When Darcy and Michael's fledgeling romantic relationship falls flat, her solution to that issue would not recieve the Justice League of America seal of approval. Still, this is all very amusing for those tired of heroes flaunting their impossible ethics.

That said, I can't say much more than this is just a fun movie, better in the important ways than the last two products of the Batman franchise. If you like campy action flicks or just love stories about people who inexplicably dress in revealing spandex costumes, this is for you.

"Requesting an ambulance, we have a couple of suspects about to be severely injured."

-Lt. Walker

"In other news, W.A.M-Women's Asertive Movement-has named that masked vigilante Black Scorpion their woman of the year. But while they support the recipient's independent spirit, they admit to being less enthusiastic about her costume-or lack thereof."

"You're insane."

"Am I? It's quite possible."

Writer Craig Nevius is also responsible for the infamous Fantastic Four screenplay, made for an aborted Roger Corman production.

Bruce Abbot (Michael Russo) played Dan Cain in the horror classic Re-Animator.

Garrett Morris (Argyle) is best known for his long stint on "Saturday Night Live" in the mid-to-late 70s.

Ed Gilbert (the Breathtaker's voice) did voices for tons of animated movies and series, including both the "Transformers" movie (he was Bitzwig) and the "G.I Joe" movie (General Hawk.) He even did the voice of one of the villains, Looten Plunder, in "Captain Planet."

Stephen Lee (Captain Strickland) currently has a recurring role in a TV series about another badass superheroine, "Dark Angel."

Matt Roe (Mayor Worth) played Frank Forrester in B-classic Puppet Master.

Rosine Hatem (Connie the Crusher) has done stunts in various movies, including Beverley Hills Cop III, James and the Giant Peach, and The Dentist. And like her jewel thief/pro-wrestling companion in the movie, Anita Hart (Scary Mary) did stunts for Austin Powers: Man of International Mystery and Titanic. Kevin Kiner, who did the soundtrack, also made music for one of my favorite films, Freaked.