Verdict
Summary
An early Full Moon genre film from the heyday of Full Moon efforts, Mandroid was shot in Romania and has pretty solid production values for a low budget picture, and it very much feels like a Marvel Comic strip come to life. It resembles one of those early ’90s comic book movies / TV shows (think Night Man, Darkman, Black Scorpion, The Punisher, Captain America, etc.) but with a slightly “R”-rated penchant for violence and nudity. Director Jack Ersgard did an admirable job with the action and over-the-top violence.
Plot:
A villain takes control of the “Mandroid” suit to get revenge, but the heroes fight back.
Review:
A pair of scientists in Eastern Europe invents a new super suit called the “Mandroid,” a robotic suit that has extra strength and an exoskeleton that would give the military a distinct advantage over its enemies. Dr. Karl (Robert Symonds) and his daughter have sold the technology to the U.S. military, but Dr. Drago (Curt Lowens) vehemently objects, wanting Russia to have the technology. Drago sabotages Karl and his daughter by taking the suit and using it to get revenge, but Karl’s team of scientists have luck and pluck, and yet they don’t have the Mandroid suit. When Drago kills Karl, it’s up to his pretty blonde daughter and cool guy Wade (Brian Cousins) and Benjamin (Michael Della Femina) who has accidentally become invisible, to outsmart Drago, who has become unhinged with the suit, and save the day from the powerful Mandroid.
An early Full Moon genre film from the heyday of Full Moon efforts, Mandroid was shot in Romania and has pretty solid production values for a low budget picture, and it very much feels like a Marvel Comic strip come to life. It resembles one of those early ’90s comic book movies / TV shows (think Night Man, Darkman, Black Scorpion, The Punisher, Captain America, etc.) but with a slightly “R”-rated penchant for violence and nudity. Director Jack Ersgard did an admirable job with the action and over-the-top violence. Followed by Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight.
Full Moon has just released a new Blu-ray edition of Mandroid, presenting the film in widescreen high definition for the very first time, which is a real treat. It looks better than it ever has before in a sharp transfer, and the disc comes with the original “Videozone” feature, plus the trailer and bonus trailers.