Steineded How sad is this?

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

David Edward Martin It's hard to remember now what an impoverished time the 1970s were for science fiction and superhero television shows. While the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, BIONIC WOMAN, INCREDIBLE HULK, and WONDER WOMAN seem to have done well in our memories, their budgets were limited and the creativity was hampered by the SFX technology of the time.But that did not stop studios from trying. And occasionally a network would begrudgingly cough up the money for a pilot in the form of a made-for-TV flick.In this case, the guys behind the two bionic shows on ABC got NBC interested in their pitch for another Martin Caidin concept. Caidin was the leading "tech thriller" writer of the 60s and 70s. His NASA novel MAROONED (actually three novels) was a famous film. His gritty novel CYBORG was softened into the popular SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN. NBC probably asked for "something like the $6M Man but different." They got it.Caidin again looked to cutting edge technology for his gimmick. NASA and the Pentagon had been working on "man-amplifiers", powered frameworks a user could wear and use to possess forklift-like strength. The chemical industry had developed "memory plastic", materials that could be deformed then spring back into shape when an electric current was supplied. So there was the concept-- a man-amplifier suit that used memory plastic joints to make it work.Of course this is television so they needed a crisis to compel the hero to build the thing in the first place. In this case, the hero was a college professor who witnessed a crime. The local mobsters tried shutting him up by nearly killing him. Now paraplegic, the hero decided to combine his work with memory plastic with research by his colleagues to produce an armored plastic suit that can walk on its own. And of course, this being TV, he used the suit to get revenge on the mobsters. He even picked up the obligatory street-smart young assistant along the way. The idea looked good on paper. The only problem was, the best mid-70s SFX tech could come up with was plastic plate mail the wearer could barely move in. NBC took a look at the pilot, let it air once, and quietly forgot about it. As did most of the viewers.Martin Caidin just cashed his check and went on with his life. After all, he still had the royalties from the bionic shows coming in. A few years later, Caidin decided to recycle the basic ideas behind EXOMAN in his early-80s tech thriller MANFAC. Like CYBORG, this is a very serious, very adult novel that still holds up well. MANFAC also enabled Caidin to have his final say on some of the exaggerated powers of THE $6M MAN, especially that "running at 60 mph" trick (the suit's legs literally run out from under the wearer).

Omega Exo-Man is yet another failed movie pilot for a proposed TV series. In this case as an idea from Caiden after the success of the 6 Million Dollar Man. Unfortunately it did not take off. Too bad as it had a lot of potential and would many years later see a similar concept with the series MANTIS. *** SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW***The story plays out similar to that of Marvel's Iron Man with some notable differences. In this case we have a Professor being crippled by gangsters, paralyzed from the waist down. But it happens that this scientist has been working on a bizarre new motive force and decides to incorporate it into a power armor battle suit that will allow him to walk and fight criminals.The suit design is very good and the accompanying sound effects and music give the thing a certain feeling of power. He transports and charges the suit from a special truck and the first combat encounter Exo-Man proves nearly disastrous as the suit has a limited air supply and a stray shot incapacitates the hero, preventing him from opening the visor. Though does give the chance to introduce what would almost certainly have been the obligatory kid companion.The final confrontation with the criminal boss who had him crippled showed some amazing effects for its time and even now.The story plods along a little. But then it is a pilot and was meant to set up the characters and background. The action moments are good though and the almost robotic movement of the suit gives the impression of immense power as it advances. The design is good and the acting and music are all well played. Sets are well laid out and bespeak of some thought put into what was to have been going on.All in all an enjoyable film. Though most certainly not for everyone.

valeriemaxim The film of Exoman has, to my knowledge, only ever been seen by myself and my friend John. Periodically I make a point of asking new acquaintances whether or not the have caught the movie and the answer has always, always been NO. This adds to the film's mass intrigue. Other elements of the film that add to this are the insane plot. Are the people that made this film a band of comic geniuses? At maybe more than one moment in the past they must have sat around a table and discussed the script. Were these meetings minuted? Conducted in a hail of intoxicants? Were mental folk brought in as consultants?Exoman is a festival of incredulity. For example the film is nearly over by the time he gets a crime fighting, most of the film regards a scientist doing research and development, he makes the exosuit airtight (for what reason?) which very nearly kills him and he has to be rescued by a child in an alley! (The obviously scared urchin approaches the downed bright orange limbed cylinder and opens an air tap, as you would.)To strengthen what may be seen to be gaping holes in the story the film is bolstered by lines such as, "Isn't that the compound we found to be bullet proof?" (A fact that somehow means a jeep, when driven directly at him at speed, bounces off?)If there is one thing that I would change about the film it would be that it gets on the National Curriculum for England and Wales and taught in maths lessons. This film is quite clearly a work of modern art that should make Damain Hurst, Tracey Emin et al take a good long look at the work they're producing.

BigRich I saw this movie when I was a little kid. It's about a crippled man that builds a suit that allowed him to walk and he ended up trying to be a crime fighter. He almost looks like a walking red bullet or missile. He had one weakness, a lack of air in the power suit. For some reason I really thought this movie was cool. By the way, the suit was bullet proof. I would love to see this movie on Mystery Science Theater 3000.BGR