THE FILM CREW: THE GIANT OF MARATHON
(not rated)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
STARRING
Michael J. Nelson as MIKE
Kevin Murphy as KEVIN
Bill Corbett as BILL
Studio: The Shout Factory
BY KEVIN CARR
Fans of “Mystery-Science Theater 3000” know that along with Ross Hagen and Lee Van Cleef, Steve Reeves is a staple to bad movies. Unlike Hagen and Van Cleef, Reeves was best known as Herculean characters in low-budget Italian sword-and-sandal movies. The Film Crew has dipped into the Steve Reeves vault to resurrect “The Giant of Marathon” for skewering on their new DVD series.
Like previous releases “Hollywood After Dark,” “Killers From Space” and “Wild Women of Wongo,” “The Giant of Marathon” is a terrible film, and the only thing that makes it bearable is the commentary by Kevin, Mike and Bill.
The film follows a bunch of guys in diapers as they seek to defeat the Persian army in ancient Greek times. “300” this film is not, but because it’s so bad, it’s perfect for The Film Crew. This is the fourth (but hopefully not final) release in The Film Crew’s new repertoire. And while it’s clearly not the strongest of these releases, it’s still a lot of fun.
As is expected in these films, there are hilarious moments as The Film Crew pokes fun at the film. Whether they’re reeling over the distrubingly mannish qualities of one of the movie’s leading ladies or lamenting the homo-erotic overtones of these gladiator films, “The Giant of Marathon” should make you laugh.
The DVD comes with a static decal of The Film Crew, suitable for home or office, as well as a couple video bonus features. One treats the audience to Mike Nelson’s insincere apology for his offensive comments in the film, and the other is a mock commentary by the fictional Walter S. Ferguson.
MSTies can complete their Film Crew collection with “The Giant of Marathon” with hopes that there will be more bad movies to come down the pike with new commentaries.