Donny Broussard Reviews: “Condorman”

With all of the superhero hype running amuck lately, I decided to pull out an old personal favorite of mine, the Walt Disney classic “Condorman.” It follows the exploits of comic book writer Woody Wilkins (Michael Crawford), who is visiting his friend Harry Oslo (James Hampton) in Paris. Woody is working on a comic book called “Condorman” and before he can make the character come to life in the comic, he has to make it come to life in the real world first. So he puts together costumes, and builds wings and even tries flying. Because in his mind the heros he puts into his books need to be able to accomplish the things they do in the comics in real life as well. In other words Woody is a big kid (I want his job).

His friend Harry works for the CIA as a file clerk, but on this rare occasion is given the opportunity to spearhead a simple briefcase switch using civilians. So of course he calls on his buddy woody to make the switch for him. Only woody tells the Russian operative that he’s really a top level agent (he’s not), and then fights off bunch of goons by accident. Then because his actions impressed the Russian operative Natalia (Barbara Carrera) when she decides to defect she instructs the CIA to only use “Condorman” to smooth her exit from her hostile country,

I loved this flick when I was a kid, and seeing it again 25 or so years later I’m excited to say that it still holds up. Michael Crawford is awesome as the naive secret agent, and Barbara Carrera is smoking hot. But my favorite part of the “Condorman” experience is all the kick ass toys he gets to play with. He has an awesome jet car, a jet boat complete with laser guns, wings that allow him to glide through the air like a real bird, and various other goodies. Also, the flick plays out more like a goofy “James Bond” than a superhero adventure and that was okay by me.

The movie does look dated, but I’d say that its age adds to its charm. This is good clean fun that the whole family can enjoy, so if you can dig a copy out of a bargain bin I’d recommend it because “Condorman” is a killer film.