There are times I go to movies expecting them to be bad. Some, like last summer’s Transformers, leave me pleasantly surprised. Others, like Let’s Go To Prison leave me wondering how my friends talked me into going. Superhero Movie leans more towards being a pleasant surprise, but be warned: not everyone will find this movie funny.
Superhero Movie belongs to the deadpan comedy genre created by Airplane! in 1980. The same sense of controlled chaos felt in Airplane! runs through the veins of Superhero Movie, and for good reason: David Zucker is one of the producers. This translates into plenty of fart gags, zany references to current events, and superhero spoofs. In short, this is the kind of movie that appeals to the 12 year old boy in all of us.
Rick Ricker starts out as a typical high school nerd a la Peter Parker, when during a school field trip he is unexpectedly bitten by a genetically enhanced dragonfly. He soon discovers that he is nearly invincible, can climb walls and has super strength. About the same time, scientist Lou Landers, in an attempt to cure himself of what the movie terms a “terminal illness,” accidently turns himself into a parasite. He needs to drain the life from people to survive. Eventually, he hatches a plan that will grant him immortality by sacrificing the lives of thousands of people. Rick, now the super-powered Dragonfly, vows to stop him and after a number of fights, does.
Along the way, the audience is invited to see Rick make a costume, learn about his powers from Professor Xavier, and have run-ins with other superheroes including the Human Torch. The trip is typically an enjoyable one; although some of the gags leave the audience wondering when the joke will end.
The actors, for the most part, play the roles well. Drake Bell plays the idealistic Dragonfly and pulls off a pretty good Tobey Maguire impression. The only complaint against him is he has the same shocked look locked onto his face at least 10 times during the movie. It is funny at first, but around the seventh time, you start to wonder if he is capable of any other facial expressions. Leslie Nielson, still refusing to show his age, steals the scene every time he is on camera. Not that this is a bad thing, but he is sadly missing from much of the movie. This mistake was probably realized by the director, as most of his later appearances felt contrived and made up on the spot. The rest of the cast does a good job of supporting and uplifting these two characters.
I will not lie; this movie is far from revolutionary. However, if you have ever been a sucker for superhero movies, you will find yourself enjoying this movie. It definitely could have held true to its name and included more superhero cameos. As it is, it largely stays focused with spoofing Spiderman. The highlights of the film come when other superheroes are included, but unfortunately these scenes feel like they take up less than five minutes of film.
With great material comes a great responsibility to make the joke. Superhero Movie accomplishes this in a lukewarm manner. It has a few jokes not seen in the commercials, though the jokes seen on TV are some of the better gags in the film. However, for anyone who has ever thought about what it would be like to put on a pair of tights and be a hero, this movie is worth seeing at least once.
Overall verdict: 2.5/5 (Average)
Popularity: 24% [?]
