- Actors: Michael Ansara, Francine York
- Directors: Ted V. Mikels
- Format: Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC
- Language English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: NR (Not Rated) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Alpha Video
- DVD Release Date: 27 Mar 2007
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- ASIN: B000MV9O5Y
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 13,878 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details |
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Both director-entrepreneur Ted V Mikels and the packaging of The Doll Squad claim that the TV show Charlie's Angels was ripped off from this cheapo action film. In truth both concepts owe a lot to Emma Peel, Pussy Galore's Flying Circus or the femme armies that crop up in Our Man Flint and other 60s spy efforts. Despite its (horrible) lounge score and eye-straining selection of flared, midriff-baring 70s outfits, Mikels' opus is basically a late-trailing Bond knock-off shot without a stunt budget. Extortionist baddie Eamon O'Reilly (the usually classier Michael Ansara) wants to blackmail the US into handing over secrets and giving into a load of terrorist demands by spreading a bubonic plague manufactured by twin (or clone) mad scientists. "Big Bertha", a computer, suggests that the best way to nail O'Reilly is to send out "the Doll Squad", a cadre of female agents led by Sabrina (Francine York), who can take advantage of his weakness for women (and occasional impotence). The first two choices, a Q-type scientist and a martial artist, are killed by O'Reilly's goons, though Sabrina sees off her would-be assassin with a cigarette lighter/flamethrower that scars his face (and only mildly perturbs the people in the next booth at the bar), so she rounds up a new gang of hairspray-addicted fashion victims: a librarian (Sherri Vernon), a stripper (Tura Satana) and a swimmer (Leigh Christian), later hauling in a squealy and useless undercover girl who is easily kidnapped by O'Reilly to lead them into a trap. We're supposed to believe most of the action takes place in a Dr No-like island retreat but it looks a lot like scrubby California desert and the director's ranch-style "castle". Aside from some fab gear (matching jumpsuits with bust-accenting white lines) the girls have little to do but run around shooting inept stuntmen.
On the DVD: For a marginal title, The Doll Squad offers some pleasing extras: a lurid trailer that's probably a more fun watch than the film ("Sabrina's code-prefex is OO-38-24-35!"); a gallery of publicity materials and stills; an exhaustive Mikels filmography; and an odd 1993 interview with the director. The film itself looks as good as it ever will--it's muddily photographed with low-tech effects (the flamethrower flames are just scratched on the emulsion) but at least the colours are vivid and the print is in great condition. --Kim Newman
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
From director Ted V Mikels comes this slow paced TV action-er that moves like a sedated tortoise from scene one. Judging by his other output (Corpsegrinders, Astro-zombies) I was expecting some 70's style babes and bloodshed but was rewarded with a film where the US Government are the good guys!!!
A rocket just launched from cape Kennedy (cue the stock footage!) gets blowed up by Mr bad guy, who is threatening the world with bubonic plague! Who they gonna call? Some chicks in spandex? Cue the doll squad!
Then we slowly work are way through the film stock with some tame martial arts and sedate gunfights all hindered by a plot so slow I forgot what was happening on one occasion. This isn't a bad film but it does feel like a half an hour TV show has been crammed into a 100min runtime.
But if its a Kitschy 70's time killer yer after, you can do a lot worse.
A rocket just launched from cape Kennedy (cue the stock footage!) gets blowed up by Mr bad guy, who is threatening the world with bubonic plague! Who they gonna call? Some chicks in spandex? Cue the doll squad!
Then we slowly work are way through the film stock with some tame martial arts and sedate gunfights all hindered by a plot so slow I forgot what was happening on one occasion. This isn't a bad film but it does feel like a half an hour TV show has been crammed into a 100min runtime.
But if its a Kitschy 70's time killer yer after, you can do a lot worse.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
The Original Charlie's Angels
9 May 2002
Female CIA agents perform as sanctioned assassins in this Action-Adventure. Starring: Michael Ansara, Francine York, Sherri Vernon, Tura Satana, Anthony Eisley, Rafael Campos and guest stars. Produced and Directed by Ted V. Mikels. A heartless arch villain plans to overthrow all the world's governments, by distributing RATS, infected with a test tube bubonic plague virus. Enter "THE DOLL SQUAD," an elite band of female commandos who are as dangerous and deadly as they are beautiful. (Where does Ted get all these girls?) The Doll Squad is skilled in martial arts and guerrilla warfare, and they use every trick in the book when they confront the evil madman on his isolated island fortress. As the forces of good and evil collide, all hell breaks loose in this explosive action adventure thriller! See if you can spot Ted V. Mikels in a cameo role as a murderous guard.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The Doll Squad
4 May 2008
Format:DVD
Great movie if you're into the campy 60/70's chick-superspy movies. Pretty obvious that Charlie's Angels was ripped off from this. The special effects are very amusing.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
The greatest fighting force the world has ever known! Well, three weeks a month, anyway...
14 Dec 2008
Format:DVD
The Doll Squad (1973) People often ask me "Why do you watch all of those weird/awful/strange/bad movies?" Because every once in a while I see a movie as terrific as this one! This low budget action flick from producer/director Ted V. Mikels hits all the right notes and entertained me thoroughly from first frame to last. Bad guy Michael Ansara (Star Trek) is a renegade ex-CIA agent with delusions of Bond villain: he topples a rocket launch to get the US government's attention and then blackmails them with threat of a new super-bubonic plague he'll release everywhere. His price: to be made leader of the world! The US government's response? Agent Anthony Eisley (Dracula vs. Frankenstein) gives the word: send in the greatest counter espionage force in the world: The Doll Squad! Led by redhead Sabrina (Francine York), these women (including the notorious Tura Satana-Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) live by the three B's: bikinis, bullets, and bombs! They launch an all out assault on Ansara's island base and the bad guys don't stand a chance! This is the most entertaining movie I've seen from the ever eclectic Mikels, with lots of terrible 70's fashions, action, bikinis, machine guns, stunts and explosions, all set to a hip and happening 70's score. It's especially fun to notice not one explosion is done live, every one of them is instead superimposed in. (Safety first must be Ted's motto.) Strangely, there is no full nudity, though Tura does get in one scene with pasties. On the violence side though, we got kung fu, gun fu, knife fu, cigarette lighter flamethrower fu, bottle busted over head fu, bazooka fu, electric cord on wet guy fu, sword fu and explosive Mickey Finn fu! Awesome! Now, a lot has been said and written, starting with Ted V. Mikels himself, that this movie might have influenced producer Aaron Spelling into creating Charlie's Angels. It is interesting that the smart leader of the Doll Squad is named Sabrina, the same as the "smart one" of the Angels. I see the similiarities (women in sexy clothes battling bad guys) but there are differences too. The Angels usually went undercover in sexy outfits to get evidence to bring the bad guy down. The Doll Squad takes a boat out to the island and lays waste to everyone on it. I can see both sides, guess I'll stay on the fence for this one. But in any case, if you enjoy fast moving 70's style low budget action, you have got to check this one out!
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
