peefyn The Spy Smasher serial follows a quite rigid formula. Each installment ends in a cliffhanger, the next one starts with how Spy Smasher gets out of the pickle he was in. He chases his enemies to a new location, fights them there, and stops their plan. Then he learns of a new plot, goes to where the bad guys are, and lands in a pickle (which is the next cliffhanger).Having such a formula is not in itself a bad thing, as you can do lots of variation within it. But it is difficult to keep the excitement for 12 installments, when all of them are so similar. Spy smasher does not manage this, and could easily have been shortened to five episodes, and be all the better for it.At its best, Spy Smasher has some great stunts and fights, fun twists and enjoyable cliff hangers. At its worst, the fights and twists feels like they are obligatory rather than meant to serve a purpose. The fight scenes are all quite similar, in that it revolves around men throwing themselves at each other, falling over furniture and more often than not running up or down a staircase. The locations differ, leading to an opportunity for different stunts each place.This is probably common in serials like these, but in almost all of the cliffhangers, they cheat. Meaning that what they show in the end of one episode does not match how the next episode begins. Some of them are quite fun despite this. The last cliffhanger (chapter 11) does not cheat like this, but is instead one of the highlights of the whole serial.If you are curious about the old serials, this is a good place to start, as it is mostly very fun. It is just too bad that they had to make so many installments, as it weakens the over all experience.

flapdoodle64 The old-time movie serials should never be judged by the same criteria of other films, even those made at the same time period. The serials were invariably outrageous, over-the-top, often ridiculous. But unlike Adam West's 'Batman' the serials were never self-conscious or deliberately campy. Although many serials featured a mildly humorous characters such as Jimmy Olsen or Whitey Whitney to provide occasional comic relief, on the whole, the actors and directors played everything straight and extremely earnest, no matter how absurd the situation or the scene. They did their best at every test.The old movie serials were made with practically zero budget and at a forced-march pace, shooting in two days what would take 6 months under modern conditions. Those factors, combined with the primitive special effects then available and outdated cinematic conventions, give movie serials a look and feel unlike anything made in the last 52 years.The final thing a modern person should know before watching an old serial is that 1940's movies had a more realistic vision of the male body than modern Hollywood. The men of this era had survived the depression (and later, WWII). When they were hungry, they ate meat and potatoes. The tough guys of this period lifted barbells and did push-ups, but they didn't have Soloflex, Nautilus, implants or steroids. Think about the last time you went to the beach: how many real world guys were built like Daniel Craig? In summary, it is best to watch the old serials from the perspective that you are looking at some kind of alternate reality, so as to suspend some of the prejudices of the modern cinema. Or perhaps as though one were a tourist in a foreign country: rather than seeing the differences as bizarre or deficient, but instead as being novel, interesting, and sometimes wondrous.I have seen about 20 serials in my life, and 'Spy Smasher' is hands-down the best. Kane Richmond made an excellent hero and pulled off the double (or is it triple?) role very nicely. The action is well-paced, the special effects and sets, are, by serial standards, excellent. The fight scenes, cliff-hangers, and escapes are all the absolute best I have seen in any serial. The creativity and ingenuity used to choreograph the fight scenes are truly wondrous. If you are familiar with the 'Indiana Jones' films, you can literally see numerous instances where Spielberg borrowed and extrapolated from Spy Smasher.And although the fight scenes are masterfully choreographed and have great stunt-work, they are much more plausible (therefore more interesting) than the kind of CGI/steroid-assisted stuff you see in modern action movie, in which human beings no longer seem bound by any biological or physical limits, being instead endowed with the powers of a video game.There are a number of dramatic surprises as well, including some understatedly somber moments. Without spoiling too much, I will say that mortality is a factor.The opening credits to each chapter, which feature the Morse Code signal for Victory, the opening notes of Beethoven's 5th, and an image of searchlights crossing the sky, accurately evoke the Churchill/Roosevelt mentality of the dark early days of WWII, the summoning up of righteous courage. This undercurrent of the real war, the outcome of which could not yet be known, gives Spy Smasher a resonance not found in other serials. But despite the influence of the historical moment, Spy Smasher is still predominately an escapist joy ride. Which is a good thing.

antonio1952 This is the finest serial ever made. Kane Richmond plays twin brothers battling Nazi agents in America. With expert casting, stunt work and direction this is Republic's finest hour in cliffhangers. The serial never drags and the camera work and doubling creating the illusion of twin is peerless.

Vigilante-407 Spy Smasher is a rather good chapterplay. It features a rather obscure character from Whiz Comics (the same book that spawned Captain Marvel). From an adaptation point of view, it isn't very good, but then very few comic book-to-screen adaptations are all that true to the source material.The cliffhangers are all acceptable and explainable from chapter to chapter (using the "they-don't-show-us-all-the-action" angle)...and the storyline is action-packed. The villain, The Mask, is a typical one spawned of both serials and comics of the times. There also doesn't seem to be a lot of stock footage use (though there is a bit of footage reuse in later chapters).Kane Richmond isn't too much of an actor, but he is quite adequate here as the dashing identical twins and Spy Smasher. The rest of the cast isn't too noteworthy...nor do they have performances of any real note.This is definitely a good example of a good movie serial...12 chapters that are worth the time to watch.