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Amazing special effects on ‘Captain Barbell’

SHAZAM! That was the magic word Billy Batson, a homeless newsboy, shouted to become Captain Marvel, a superhero with the wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. He became quite popular in the 1960s through his appearances in Fawcett Comics then later in DC Comics.

CAPTAIN BARBELL! These were the two words that Enteng, a bullied boy, shouted as he held a magic barbell to become Mars Ravelo's Captain Barbell, probably inspired by the US version.. Not as imaginative but CB has made it to several movies and TV series and was played by Bob Soler, Edu Manzano, Bong Revilla, and even Dolphy. His latest incarnation is matinee idol Richard Gutierrez. Unlike previous appearances, Richard will play both Teng and Captain Barbell.

After a five-year-absence, "Captain Barbell" returned to the boob tube last Monday and did not disappoint with its seamless special effects and imaginative production design of Australian Peter Collias, who was involved with the "Matrix" series, and local artist Digo Ricio. Richard looked dashing in his costume especially in his flying scenes. I understand his outfit was made in Hong Kong by Walt Disney costume maker Emily Lai.

I've watched CGI effects on other TV shows before but they were somehow not convincing as the real thing. Not so with "CB" where I actually believed that Nero (Christopher de Leon) was wreaking havoc on the metropolis. His gigantic transport that doubled as a killing machine reminded me of a similar gadget in Pixar's "The Incredibles" except this was no animation. The flying scenes were realistic. There was no cut away as Richard jumped and took flight.

It was in the acting department that Richard showed some weakness. In the scene where his wife is dying and in another where a close friend dies after he delivers her baby, the actor should have shed tears but he didn't. Even when he screamed in anguish, the emotion was lacking. He was okay when delivering his lines in the action segments.

Christopher fared better as a super villain. While others would go to town with the role, Boyet chose to take it easy. His evil showed in his facial expression and of course, the destruction that he inflicted on his enemies.

Speaking of overacting, TJ Trinidad as Richard's cruel landlord won hands down. He tried to terrorize Richard until his dad, played by Lloyd Samartino, stepped in. I expect him to overact once again when he turns into a super villain.

The storyline of the first episode is simple. CB's wife, Leah (Rhian Ramos) is killed by Nero so our hero goes after him. When CB finally has him in his grasp, Nero says there is a bomb that is about to explode so CB has to defuse the bomb and our super villain is able to escape. As the closing credits are about to roll, Nero is planning to let weather disturbances devastate Metro Manila. This will result in a thunderstorm that will hit several individuals who will become either super heroes or super villains. Something like the Justice League of America composed of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and others battling extraordinary bad guys.

There is, of course, the baby that CB delivered that he will now take care of and various female distractions that will either boost or weaken his super powers.

Aside from Christopher, others in the cast are: Eddie Gutierrez, Isabel Oli, Lovi Poe, Michelle Madrigal, Solenn Heussaff, Jillian Ward, Jon Hall, Mike Tan, Akihiro Sato and many others.. Directed by Dominic Zapata., "Captain Barbell" airs weeknights at 8 after "24 Oras" on GMA-7.