Captain Barbell (2003 film)

Mars Ravelo's Captain Barbell, or simply Captain Barbell, is a 2003 Filipino superhero film directed by Mac C. Alejandre. Based on the Pinoy Komiks superhero of the same name, it stars Ramon 'Bong' Revilla Jr. in the title role. Produced by Premiere Entertainment Productions, the film was released by Viva Films as part of the 29th Metro Manila Film Festival on December 25, 2003, and was the highest-grossing film among the festival's nine entries.

The film is streaming online on YouTube.

Plot
Enteng is a gym assistant who lives with his mother, Belen, sister Mara and brother, and has a crush on a local schoolteacher named Cielo. One day he encounters a disused barbell that gives him superhuman abilities as Captain Barbell, who later talks to him about his responsibilities and the source of his powers, a meteor which disintegrated into several pieces and has also granted powers to others who used it for evil.

The first of them is Utoy, a vagrant who is lynched and dumped next to a meteorite fragment next to a pile of rats who transforms into a mutant called Dagampatay. Wandering around, he dissolves people with his spit and summons rats around him. After an attempt to poison the La Mesa Reservoir, he is defeated by Captain Barbell when he boomerangs his spit back into himself, dissolving him. The second villain is Roselle, a rape victim who was dumped near blocks of ice and gain freezing powers hence the name Freezy. She kills her rapist and goes on a killing spree of men she seduces before being frozen by Captain Barbell when he shields himself using her hands.

The main villain is Lagablab, formerly Enteng's father Arnaldo, a fire-breather at a circus who went on the run after killing his employer and getting struck by lightning, gaining pyrokinetic abilities. He is defeated by Captain Barbell when he sends him to outer space.

Cast

 * Ogie Alcasid and Ramon 'Bong' Revilla Jr. as Enteng / Captain Barbell
 * Regine Velasquez as Cielo / Darna
 * Albert Martinez as Arnaldo / Lagablab
 * Rufa Mae Quinto as Roselle / Freezy
 * Snooky Serna as Belen
 * Jeffrey Quizon as Utoy / Dagampatay
 * Antonio Aquitania as Efren
 * Sarah Geronimo as Mara
 * Emilio Garcia as Mr. Tan
 * Carlo Maceda as Alvin
 * Bearwin Meily as Lobo
 * Goyong as Buyot
 * Mel Kimura as Lilibeth
 * Tuesday Vargas as Gang
 * Vanna Garcia as snatcher victim
 * John Apacible as Gus
 * Mikel Campos as Mike
 * PJ Malonzo as Lastikman
 * Gloria Diaz as Cielo's mom

Production
Rufa Mae Quinto was announced to be one of the villains in early October 2003. Actor Albert Martinez was hospitalized for a few days after accidentally swallowing kerosene during the filming of a fire-spitting scene, which he insisted on doing himself instead of his stunt double.

It is the final film produced by Premiere Entertainment Productions before shifting its focus as an investment holding company.

Release
Captain Barbell was released by Viva Films on December 25, 2003, as an official entry to the 29th Metro Manila Film Festival. Despite the film's box office success, it did not win any award it was nominated for at the festival.

Box office
Captain Barbell was the highest-grossing film among the nine entries of the MMFF, grossing a total of ₱62,064,626.