We have here all the makings of a weekly TV series. It was unavoidable that Hollywood would shape a plot around an ace special-effects man ("Nobody cares about making movies about people anymore. All they care about is special effects"). But it ought to have been avoidable that the plot would be a crime thriller; that the genius behind Vermin from Venus, Song of the Succubus, Planet of the Female Mummies, et al., would be recruited, then double-crossed, by the U.S. Justice Department, and would be forced to fight back with all his smoke-bombs, trip-wires, false beards, and so forth. The possibilities are endless, or at least sufficient for twenty-six hour-long episodes. The art of special effects is not viewed without a compensating sense of humor, but this is outshone in the long run by a sense of awe and amazement, and the behind-the-scenes glimpses are always careful to preserve an aura of magic rather than of education. Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Mason Adams; directed by Robert Mandel. (1986) — Duncan Shepherd
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