Mil Mascaras: Resurrection comes to us some thirty years after Mil Mascaras last appeared onscreen in a narrative feature. For those of you who missed out the first time around, Mil, along with Santo and Blue Demon, is one of the “Big Three” stars of lucha libre cinema, as well as one of the biggest stars in the history of lucha libre itself. While Mil’s cinematic efforts never had the same stateside impact as some of Santo’s, thanks to them never being dubbed in English, they are nonetheless every bit as entertaining — and, in some cases, much more so — than many of El Enmascarado de Plata’s contributions to the genre. Mil Mascaras: Resurrection — which was initially titled Mil Mascaras vs. The Aztec Mummy — doesn’t come to us by way of the normal channels one might expect a Mil Mascaras movie to come through. In fact, it may very well be the only Mexican wrestling film whose writer-producer holds a Ph.D. in robotic engineering from Oxford. Jeffrey Uhlmann brought the idea for the film with him when he took an associate professorship in the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Computer Science Department, and proposed it as an ideal project for exploring the potential for an entertainment technology-related IT program within the University’s Engineering School. Being that Uhlmann is obviously a serious fan of lucha cinema, I imagine that he also decided it would just be really cool to make a Mil Mascaras movie using some of Mizzou’s resources — but in the long run, it’s really all about the kids, isn’t it?
#1 by Blake Matthews on January 22, 2009 - 12:27 pm
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Nice review. I really need to watch at least one luchador film. What’s the best place to start?
#2 by KeithA on January 22, 2009 - 1:34 pm
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I’m sure Todd will chime in as well. Although Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras are my favorites, I feel like any foundation in lucha cinema needs to begin with Santo vs. the Vampire Women. Blue Demon vs. Cerebros Infernales is probably my favorite, though.
#3 by Todd on January 22, 2009 - 2:27 pm
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I agree with Keith on all points. Santo vs. the Vampire Women is seminal, pretty much the one by which all others must be judged. Beyond that, yeah, Blue Demon vs. Cerebros Infernales is crazy awesome, and I’d also recommend almost anything that stars both Santo and Blue Demon, especially Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dracula and the Wolfman and Santo and Blue Demon vs. The Monsters. Oh, and Santo vs. the Martian Invasion. As far as Mil Mascaras in particular goes, it’s all about Las Vampiras, not the least because John Carradine (!) plays the main vampire in it.
#4 by Blake Matthews on January 23, 2009 - 7:04 am
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Well, I acquired “Samson vs the Vampire Women” through legal means, so I should be checking it out today or tomorrow.
#5 by The Rev. D.D. on January 23, 2009 - 9:27 am
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The first photo in that review really says it all, and has totally sold me on tracking this movie down. (The Aztec headdress and the shots of the mummy just increased that desire.) I don’t know what that says about me.
Considering my love of monsters and luchadores, I’m a little ashamed to admit my viewing experience with these movies is very limited. (At least my first experience was the one everyone’s recommending here, Santo vs. the Vampire Women, caught years ago on a now-defunct late-night show out of Omaha.) I need to rectify that.
#6 by Blake Matthews on January 23, 2009 - 11:17 am
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I watched Santo vs. the Vampire Women and found it pretty darn entertaining (granted, I watched the version with the ‘bots). A bit disappointing at the end (if they had left him in the cage, they would’ve had ample time for their ritual), but fun stuff with some pretty good fights.
#7 by Todd on January 23, 2009 - 11:58 am
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I probably should mention that Mil Mascaras: Resurrection, aside from playing a few festivals, hasn’t been officially released yet (that’s right, Teleport City recieved a screener — and of a movie that was actually reasonably enjoyable to watch, no less. Yes!), but hopefully they’ll get around to doing a DVD release of it soon.