'Mil Mascaras vs. The Aztec Mummy' premiers in Columbia
The movie is the first of its kind to be written originally in English.
Published Sept. 11, 2009
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Seven famous Mexican luchadores don masks and capes for battle. "Mil Mascaras vs. The Aztec Mummy" was filmed on campus and produced by MU students and staff members. It was the first genuine lucha film to be originally produced in English.
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MU-written, filmed and produced movie "Mil Mascaras vs. The Aztec Mummy" premiered Thursday night in Jesse Hall.
MU professor Jeffrey Uhlmann, the film's screenwriter, breathes life into the lucha genre.
Mascaras must battle a revived ancient Aztec mummy, played by Uhlmann, and the many evil forces accompanying him.
Uhlmann said the starring protagonist Mil Mascaras, who plays himself in the film, is one of the most famous luchadores of all time.
Luchadores are wrestlers who don colorful masks and perform acrobatic moves. These wrestlers are among the most famous people in Mexico, and they're growing more popular in the United States as well, Uhlmann said. Their popularity transitioned into movies, and became a film type defined by masked men overcoming the supernatural.
The film also features other famous luchadores aiding Mascaras in a climactic battle.
"It's a fascinating genre," Uhlmann said. "When you watch the film you've got a guy who's wearing a mask, sometimes bare-chested and wearing a cape, and he's talking to the president of some country or dealing with Interpol, it's all very weird, psychedelic stuff."
The quirky nature of the film might be a new experience for moviegoers.
"I think just the whole absurdity of the film will appeal to college students," co-producer and MU professor Chip Gubera said. "The situations, the monsters, along with wrestling bad guys — it's just a lot of fun to watch."
From multiple Jesse Hall scenes to the College of Engineering's solar car, various aspects of the university are represented in the movie.
Freshman Alex Olgin enjoyed that aspect of the movie.
"It was refreshing to see the characters in the same places that I walk through everyday," she said.
Columbia was also represented as Shakespeare's Pizza manager Kurt Mirtsching had a supporting role as the Professor.
Although most students could only see the final product, some students had an impact behind the scenes.
"We had over 60 students who participated in the actual filming, and there were a lot more involved in different capacities of the film during post-production," Uhlmann said.
"Mil Mascaras vs. The Aztec Mummy" won multiple awards at film festivals, Uhlmann said.
There will be two more installments of the series, "Academy of Doom" and "Mil Mascaras: Aztec Revenge," and a fourth is planned.
