Director Alfonso Brescia (better known under the easier-on-the-tongue moniker of “Al Bradley") was one of Italy’s masters of cinematic trash, dabbling in nearly every exploitable genre but probably best known for a series of sorry-ass plastic STAR WARS rip-offs made in the late 1970s. In 1973 he gave us BATTLE OF THE AMAZONS, a silly “sword and sandal” epic with enough doses of nudity, sex and blood to satiate audiences of the time and secure an “R” rating when released here by AIP. Soon after, Brescia did a sort of follow-up, which was known under as many alternate titles as Al Adamson’s HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS. AIP released this film here as well, with a name that you’d think would have made it a monster hit: SUPER STOOGES VS. THE WONDER WOMEN, but it went largely criticized or unnoticed, often playing on a double bill with Vincent Price in MADHOUSE.

After a rather violent opening which shows some Amazonian women competing against each other (and by compete I mean shooting deadly arrows at one another and wrestling over a bed of large knives), they set off to find a village god named Dharma to learn the secret of immortality through his sacred flame. The masked Dharma is actually a charlatan, and the part had been enacted by many men over the centuries to pacify the villagers. When the current Dharma is knocked off by the ruthless Amazons, the mask and cape are occupied by young Aru (Nick Jordan, aka Aldo Canti). Extremely athletic, Aru sets out to avenge his friend and stomp out the Amazons (who push around the poor villagers) with the help of two other able bodies; a brawny black man named Mug (Marc Hannibal) and an Asian martial arts expert named Chang (Hua Yueh).

SUPER STOOGES VS. THE WONDER WOMEN may be a misleading title if you’re expecting Moe, Larry and Curly up against Linda Carter, but there is a great deal of slapstick and comic book violence that justifies a comparison to the tradition of the classic comedy team. As bad as you may have heard the film to be, the action hardly ever lets up with lots of fighting, pyrotechnics, and mini battle sequences. It’s also edited well, and with the help of being able to see it in widescreen, it looks more expensive than it really is (though many of the costumes and sets were most likely recycled). Aldo Canti was a busy stuntman for Cinecittà, and the producers even secured a genuine Shaw Brothers chop socky star in Hua Yueh, so this accounts for the proficient action sequences, which are no doubt enhanced by some off-screen trampolines. The Shaw Brothers also co-financed the film at a time when they were mounting productions with other countries (ala LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES will England’s Hammer Films).

With lots of beautiful Amazons in white cloth bikini tops and bottoms running about, Magda Konopka (SATANIK, WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH) is the evil leader, but looks unappealing in a curly black wig, and the English dubbing has her sounding like a loudmouthed Wilma Flintstone. Truly sexy is 1970s gorgeous Euro starlet Malisa Longo (RICCO) who plays the righteous love interest of Aru, and obviously she could hold her own in a wet t-shirt contest, as she goes for a swim with him (the water makes her white garb almost transparent). American actress Lynne Moody (SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM) plays the love interest of Mug, but she has very little screen time. Franco Micalizzi’s music score reinforces the film’s comedic nature, never allowing you to take it seriously (perhaps that’s the point of this oddball mix of peplum and costumed heroes) and almost sounds like something you’d here in a Terence Hill/Bud Spencer western farce.