Produced by Viva Films, the film was released on September 7, 1988. Critic Lav Diaz gave it a mixed review, praising De Leon's parody of Panday early in the film but expressed disappointment in the lessened comedic quality of later scenes involving Sheman.
Plot
Pando is a provincial blacksmith who rescues a gay hermit. The hermit reveals himself to be a refugee from the Kingdom of Gayskull, which has been usurped by Kiss Manay, who in turn has sent goons into Pando's town to abduct children. To rescue the children and take back Gayskull, the hermit gives Pando the power to transform into Sheman, an effeminate superhero in drag with superhuman abilities and magic weapons.
They storm Gayskull, defeat Kiss Manay and rescue the children, after which the Kingdom is transformed back into its original form and the hermit reverts to his former role as prince.
Lav Diaz, writing for the Manila Standard, gave the film a mixed review. Though he praised the early comedic scenes of De Leon parodying Panday (as portrayed by Fernando Poe Jr.) through his blacksmith character Pando, Diaz considered the comedic quality to drop as the film progressed and began to involve Sheman, stating that it then creates an "anti-climactic feeling by the end of the film".[2]
^ abDiaz, Lav (September 16, 1988). "Rambol ng mga bakla". Manila Standard. Manila Standard News, Inc. p. 15. Retrieved January 29, 2021. Masyadong nasapawan ng pag-i-FPJ niya ang anumang pakulong idinagdag. Kaya't tipong anti-climactic ang pandama sa pagwawakas ng pelikula.
