You’ve probably figure it out from the title that Stan Lee had his hand in this movie. So you can imagine that there will be a lot of cheese and campiness here.
We open in an alley where a man finds some kind of snake-like humanoid. After the opening credits we cut to the Hollibrown Defense Contractors HQ as a group of Ghost Squad units arrived at the scene; lead by Tanner (played by the Six Million Dollar Man himself Lee Majors). Daniel Leight (played by Jason Connery) leads a small team into the building. Meanwhile, we cut to the snake-like humanoid (calling himself Python) and his comrade Tom Barcroft (played by K. C. Clyde) stealing some special isotopes. Along the way to the upper floors, Daniel’s team take out a few of Python’s armed men. A second team encounters more of Python’s men; taking out all but Barcroft who gets wounded. Daniel makes it to the vault and confronts Python only to be surprise that Python called him by name. The two started fighting but Python soon overpowers Daniel. Python announces that Daniel will pay for Anne’s death as he puts him into unconsciousness. Python and his remaining men make their leave before setting off a bomb which destroys most of the building. Back inside Daniel tries to get out but gets pinned by falling rubble. This triggers the movie to flashback four years earlier; cutting to Daniel and his friend Dr. Edward Bartlett (played by Daniel Goddard). Bartlett is working with genetic hybrid snakes to create some kind of special healing skin. These skins produced by the molting of the snakes possess stem cells DNA which applied on a damaged tissue of a person allows that tissue to heal. The purpose of his work is to help people with severe burn injuries but most importantly to help his sister Anne…..hmmmmm.
Bartlett is having problems with the government cutting back on his funding. Daniel offers to help by contacting a senator friend to provide more money. Bartlett goes to visits his sister at the hospital where he’s soon joined by Anne’s husband Barcroft….hmmmmm. Cut to Daniel making a call to his senator friend Paul Davis (played by James Jamison) asking to help Bartlett with more funding. However, Davis tells that they decided to shut his project down and to notify him. Daniel decides to tell him but Bartlett doesn’t take the news all too well. More bad news for Bartlett as his sister just died and his lab is now off limits. But that doesn’t stop him as he sneaks back into the lab later that night. Completely distraught of his equipment being dismantle and storage he accidently starts a fire. Bartlett tries to it out but gets burned in the process; he decides to enter his machine to heal himself but a chain reaction has compromise his DNA. Changing him into something else; something very deadly. Yeah if it wasn’t obvious like a punch to the balls, Bartlett is Python. Cut to present day Daniel is found and dug out of the rubble of the building. At the hospital a doctor informs Tanner that Daniel’s lower pelvis and legs are crushed. Replacing them titanium/platinum alloy hips, knees and 37 screws; the doctor also suggested an experimental chemical/radiation procedure to help Daniel heal quicker. Cut to nighttime as Python and his men arrived at the hospital to get Barcroft. But not before Python attempts to kill Daniel by increasing the radiation projector. Dude why don’t you just shoot him, or stab him or anything man? What makes you think that he’s not gonna gain superpowers and come kick your ass? Anyway as Python and his men make their leave with Barcroft, Daniel awakens and struggles to shut off the projector until he managed as such.
The next day Daniel seems to have survived the radiation without noticeable side-effects. His injuries are healing faster than expected but he still requires going under months of physical therapy. Daniel informs Beth (played by Nicole Eggert) that Python is Bartlett but she’s skeptical that Bartlett had anything to do with what’s going on. So she heads off to find the connection; woman he just told who’s behind all of this and why he’s doing so. What connection is there to find? The movie cuts into a physical therapy montage as Daniel is making fast progress. Afterwards Daniel is moved to a safehouse for further recovering; with some help from Beth. A little later Daniel is sitting outside being pestered by a mosquito. All of sudden Daniel seems to be moving so fast that he caught the mosquito. Out of curiosity Daniel decides to go for a quick run; quite literally as he has incredible super speed. He runs back to the safehouse but suddenly gets so tired that he passes out. Daniel awakes at the hospital; informed that he suffered an acute metabolic stimulation. The radiation may have altered Daniel’s metabolism that his resting blood pressure has increased. His muscles and bone are improving much faster than expected just that the rest of his body hasn’t catch up yet. The doctor gives Daniel vials of a blue fluid that will stabilize his metabolism and a syringe of adrenaline in case of stroke or a heart attack. Cut to Python’s hideout as his generals go over Operation Firesky; Barcroft points out a prototype Mass Ionic Field Disburser at an AF Compound. Apparently it’s an important component to their operation of creating some type of Firesky bomb. Back at the hospital Daniel goes to test his newfound powers. Daniel ends up at sports store where he….you ready for this….gets his costume. A blue, skintight aerodynamic ski suit to withstand the amount of speed while he’s running, some type of ski mask to protect his face from wind burns and some wrestling boots. Although these things ACTUALLY work it just that coming to regular sports store to acquire a superhero outfit so ri-goddamn-diculous it would make every speedster in the DC universe face-palm in unison.
Anyway Daniel tries the…..eh outfit as he arrives at a convenient store being robbed. Daniel quickly disarms and takes out the robbers as police soon arrived at the scene. One of the robbers makes to the roof of the store….no idea why since there’s nowhere to go. Daniel soon follows him, trying to reason with him but the robber gets frighten that he accidently falls off the roof. Apparently dying instantly upon falling on a police car. Daniel returns to the hospital as Beth was wondering where he were; she comes up with no connection between Python and Bartlett. She can’t do much of anything without any evidence before going to Tanner. Cut to the AF Compound where the Mass Ionic Field Disburser is being tested. Basically it manipulates greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or in this case decreasing warm temperatures with an isotope which causes that decrease. However, there’s an opposite isotope that causes rising temperature; the same isotope that Python stolen. Little do the demonstrators know that Python is right outside waiting to the moment to make his move. Cut to Ghost Squad HQ as Daniel arrives; Tanner gets a signal from a tracker implanted in Barcroft’s neck. The squad heads out to the AF Compound but Daniel is ordered to stay behind to further recover. That doesn’t last for long as he quickly gears up and heads to the compound. Back at the AF Compound Python and his men began their raid on the complex; they’ve obtained the Field Disburser and replaced it with a replica. Python is soon confronted by Daniel and the two began to fight. As Python’s men exit the compound the Ghost Squad soon arrived and open fire on the men. Back inside the fight continues but soon ends rather disappointedly as Python overpower Daniel and leaves the compound. You know one would think with all that super-speed Daniel could’ve simply super-speed punch Python.
Away Python sets off some explosives as he makes his escape; Daniel spots Beth about to crush by debris but quickly moves her out of the way. Beth gets a good look at Daniel as he takes his blue fluid and Back at Ghost Squad HQ they brought in one of Python’s men for interrogation; the lackey doesn’t respond to their questions so they injected him with a truth serum. Cut to Python’s hideout as he’s informed of the lackey’s capture. He soon activates a failsafe implanted in the lackey; triggering some kind of kill switch that kills the lackey. A little bit later Python brings out Senator Davis from captivity, dowses him in gasoline and sets him on fire. Afterwards Barcroft looks up any info on Daniel and by that I mean he just brings up some random picture of Daniel and Beth on the computer. Cut to Daniel at the hospital as he tries to explain to Beth how he ended up with super-speed. Outside of Ghost Squad HQ one of Tanner’s men is taken by Python and is soon tortured for the location of Daniel’s safe house. He surrenders the location and Barcroft mostly kills him. Later Python drops off Tanner’s man at the front of Ghost Squad HQ; with his dying breath the man tells Tanner that Python knows where Daniel is. At the safe house Beth is already captured by Python; back at HQ Ghost Squads gear up and head to the safe house as Daniel soon arrives. He’s informed that the safe house has been compromised, immediately gears up and makes a dash to the safe house. Cut back to the safe house. Cut back to the safe house Python’s man are standing guard as he waits Daniel to show. Daniel arrives at the safe house and quickly takes out the guards. Python steps outside with Beth in tow and another fight break out between him and Daniel. Python once again over powers him and takes Beth away. Seriously Kid Flash has a better chance in fighting Vandal Savage than this guy. Why is he so pitiful? Whatever, Daniel leaves the safe house before the Ghost Squad arrives.
Daniel approaches Tanner demanding to be put back on the squad to hunt down Python and rescue Beth. Tanner denies that request on the counts that she’s been working for Python as a mole. Daniel doesn’t believe that she’s the mole but he continues no further with Tanner. The next day Daniel and Tanner gets a report on Beth’s transmitter and Python’s whereabouts in the capitol area of Washington DC. Daniel wants to get involve so Tanner has him on tactical duty. As the Ghost Squad is dispatched, Daniel makes it to the hideout where he meets with Python and Barcroft. And as usual in any low budget superhero movie the typical supervillain explains their master plan to the hero instead being smart and just kill them. In this case Python’s men had setup the Field Disburser somewhere in the DC area. When the time reaches 4:30PM the disburser will release the isotope and everyone within DC will be burned alive. As for Beth, she’s being held at a location close by the hideout (and I mean really close by) attached to a bomb. When the time reaches 4:30PM….KABOOOOOOOOOOOM! The Ghost Squad has arrived at the hideout and proceeds in taking down Python’s men. Python does the dumbest thing by telling Daniel where the disburser is. Daniel makes a dash to the disburser but Python believes he won’t reach in time. Python goes to a room where Beth was actually held and unties her; (told you she was really close by). He’s about to shoot her in the head but Barcroft stops him; not too thrilled about killing thousands of people. So disappointed in Barcroft, Python goes HULK SMASH until Barcroft dies. And then he just starts having a childish hissy fit; Doctor Doom he is not.
Meanwhile, Daniel makes it to the disburser in time and dismantles it; taking the isotope as he runs back to the hideout. Python is still having his hissy fit but thankfully Daniel shuts him up. Tanner arrives to at the scene only to reveal that he’s the real mole; why hell if I know. And it doesn’t seem to matter as Python shoots him (yet somehow a few seconds later Tanner just up and disappear). Daniel makes a run with Beth but his metabolism soon crashes after they made it out the door. He struggles to defend himself as Python attacks him; Beth tries to fend off Python but he’s just too strong. Daniel quickly gets an upper hand and jabs the isotope into Python; causing him to burst into flames and die. Daniel starts to have a stroke and stops breathing; Beth quickly takes the syringe, injects it into his chest and Daniel soon recovers. And the movie ends; just kinda comes to a stop.
My Final Verdict: It’s silly, it’s campy, it’s cheesy but it’s at least tolerably entertaining. The speed effects are rather impressive for a movie of this quality. The villain is no Loki but he’s still pretty menacing and a much better threat than fucking Piccolo from Dragon Ball Evolution.
Next time we’ll be looking into a recent movie that really disappointed me despite the interesting title. Stay tuned for my view on Killer Mermaid.
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