Captain Z & the Terror of Leviathan

Director - Steve Rudzinski (Super Task Force One)
Starring - Steve Rudzinski, Zoltan Zalai (Super 8), and Madison Siple
Release Date - 2014
Genre- Comedy/Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Tagline - "An epic of idiotic proportions"
Format - Streaming (Online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I have always loved horror.  This was an obsession that I picked up at a very young age that came to fruition when I started visiting the mom and pop video store when I was in elementary school.  I will always love horror but I am still open minded when it comes to other genres but most of my money will always be spent on horror.  With that being said, I am a fan of a select number of filmmakers and will always buy their films regardless of what genre they dabble in next.  That brings me to indie director and actor Steve Rudzinski who is responsible for the 2013 film Super Task Force One.  Rudzinski is a director that has bounced in and out of horror with his horror efforts including Slasher Hunter, Wolfster, and Everyone Must Die!  He has talent behind the camera and that is evident for sure but Rudzinski's non-horror efforts are fucking amazing.  Super Task Force One is a stroke of pure indie genius that begs to have a sequel.  Since viewing that film I have waited patiently for Rudzinski to step outside the horror genre with another film and I finally got my wish with his newest flick Captain Z & The Terror of Leviathan.  Rudinski reached out to me about reviewing the flick and I calmly (girl squealed) accepted his offer.  Thanks Steve for hooking me up with the screener link!
     The film begins in 1714 with a handful of locals that are now possessed with an ancient evil as they try to perform a ritual involving a girl with crimson hair to resurrect the evil leviathan.  At the last moment a swashbuckling pirate, Captain Z (Zalai), saves the day with his trusty chicken Rosa.  Unfortunately, this causes a vortex and Captain Z is sucked in along with the possessed townsfolk.  We then jump 300 years and the local community still talks about the exploits of Captain Z immortalizing him as an urban legend.  There is even a museum dedicated to the scalawag.  This draws the attention of paranormal researcher and author Glen Stewart (Rudzinski).  Glen wanted to search the local river for the amulet used in the ritual but he is too late.  A father and son pair found it earlier while fishing and accidentally re-open the vortex releasing the demon and Captain Z.  The demons possess the redneck family (inbred and undead!).  They once again set their sights on unleashing the leviathan using the amulet but Captain Z intervenes and grabs it.  He is able to run away with them hot on his tail.  He eventually makes it to the river where he finds Glen, the museum curator, and an employee, Heather (Siple).  Now this rag tag team must stop the demons from unleashing the leviathan before they fully "cook."
     Growing up I visited the local video store, Dewey's Home Video.  Dewey was a mullet wearing 80s glam rock kinda guy but his video store had movies from all genres.  Looking back I am actually impressed by some of the more obscure films he had considering he was a small rental store in one of the poorest counties in the country.  It was here that that I crossed paths with the fine films of Full Moon and their family friendly label Moonbeam.  I fell in love with both labels but Moonbeam stole my heart with a film that became a staple of my childhood.  The film, Prehysteria, was fucking amazing.  I loved the look, score, story line, and overall appeal of the film.  As soon as I started watching Captain Z I quickly realized that this film had a lot of the same traits as Prehysteria.  This is the kind of film I would have loved as a child and will show my children when they are old enough to enjoy good movies.  The acting in this one is top notch and by far the best I have seen in a Rudzinski flick.  Rudzinski himself should really get more gigs acting because he really does have the charisma needed to hold the audiences attention.  The remainder of the cast did great as well with Zalai stealing the show every time he enters the scene.  The story for this one is fun as hell.  The best way to describe it is Moonbeam meets Evil Dead.   The film is low in horror elements but is perfect if you are looking for a fantasy adventure.  In fact, aside from a few sex jokes, this film could easily pass as a flick for children.  Finally, the film has a slew of visual effects.  These effects are not that great but they fit the film perfectly.  Overall, Captain Z is one hell of an indie flick.  It has action, adventure, and cheesy on liners.  If you watch one movie this year that I recommend then let it be this one!