Writer: Craig Mazin
Director: Craig Mazin
Cast: Christopher McDonald, Brent Spiner, Drake Bell, Regina Hall, Pamela Anderson, Marion Ross, Leslie Nielsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Sara Paxton, Kevin Hart, Tracey Morgan
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Weinstein Company
Release Date:July 8, 2008

Parody movies are not for everyone. I feel that this is the best way to start this review for a number of reasons. For starters, parody movies, by definition are either hit or miss. Most of them have funny moments in them somewhere, but that doesn’t mean that they are all generally funny. Three laughs in two hours is hardly a success. So, parody movies aren’t always the best thing for everyone. You have to be a lover of these movies going in for them to work out more often than not.

I fall somewhere in the middle of parody lover and hater. I have my favorite actors that do these kinds of movies and I can tolerate movies when I am watching them with these people, but when it comes to tossing in someone new, it doesn’t always work for me. Superhero Movie has some advantages in the fact that there are many names here that people know. You can enjoy the comedic timing of Leslie Nielsen and Marion Ross among others. Of course, the makers of this movie listed a few names to get potential audience members watching, when the actors were only in the movie for a scene or less, which didn’t score any points with me.

Release Information:
After seeing Superhero Movie it is easy to see why this was not screened for critics. It’s not the worst parody movie ever seen, but I am sure that critics would have made it much harder for this movie to make any money. Speaking of money, Superhero Movie has made over $57 million worldwide, which includes $31,600,000 that was made in North America alone. Not bad for a mediocre movie, but a sure sign that it wasn’t completely worthy of praise.

It has already been announced that this is just the first Superhero Movie and that a second is already being planned. No major details have been released, though it is said the director would like to spoof Iron Man, as well as the X-Men films. Superhero Movie was released on DVD on July 8, 2008. There were two versions released, a regular, theatrical version and an unrated extended version. This review is for the unrated DVD. You should have easy access to both versions should you want to purchase this movie. Amazon offers the extended version for just under $20.

The Superhero Movie Plot
You would think with the names on this project it would have turned out better. David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss of Airplane and Naked Gun fame have come together for this film and they are working with Craig Mazin (think Scary Movie 3 & 4). With such comedic genius staring you in the face, you cannot help but think you’re going to be in for a wild ride. While in many ways, the ride is wild, too much of the ride is stagnant, tired, and just awkward. It’s like it wasn’t enough to tell a joke. They had to retell it a couple of times because they only had so many to go around.

It doesn’t take but a minute or two to see that Superhero Movie will be parodying Spiderman, but there is also plenty of X-Men parodying going on, and small amounts of Fantastic Four, too. Rick Riker (Drake Bell) is a mousy high school kid living with his aunt and uncle (his parents died a la Batman) that ends up suffering from a dragonfly bite while on a science (school) field trip. The supercharged dragonfly ends up giving Rick super dragonfly powers and eventually allowing him to become the superhero known as Dragonfly.

Things are not easy for the Dragonfly, who sits pining away for Rick’s next door neighbor, Jill Johnson (Sara Paxton). Despite Jill having a boyfriend, Lance (Ryan Hansen), there is plenty of awkward tension between the two, and an evident physical attraction to the Dragonfly is present in Jill. There is a lot more to worry about than Jill though. The Dragonfly is forced to face the horrible Hourglass (Christopher McDonald) as his archenemy. With this in mind, he attempts to become the best superhero he can be, gaining help along the way from his Uncle Albert (Leslie Nielsen), Aunt Lucille (Marion Ross), best friend Trey (Kevin Hart), and the occasional passing comment from Professor X (Tracy Morgan). Of course, there is a scene or two with the folks at the Institute, like Mrs. X (Regina Hall), who try to help him on his path.

There are some humorous moments here, but for the most part you end up with either more of the same or poop, pube, fart, or just plain awkward jokes. The actors do well with what they have been given. Marion Ross and Leslie Nielsen are skilled at this sort of thing, so it’s no surprise how well they succeed in their roles. I had never seen anything with Drake Bell in it before now, but he seems competent enough, too. As for the others Sara Paxton works out okay, even if Anna Faris would have been better, Kevin Hart is laughable at times (in a good way), and Christopher McDonald is annoyingly amusing.

My only real complaint about the actors is the lack of Regina Hall. Oh, she’s in the movie all right. She’s in the movie for about five minutes. The fact that she was in the movie was one of the biggest draws, for me, considering she is hilarious in the Scary Movie films. The creators go through the hassle of listing her as a main character, with top billing, especially where the commercials were concerned, but she’s barely in it and her part is not worthy of her talent. It’s obvious that she was put in for a few minutes just to say she was there and use that as a selling point.

Storyline/Plot: ★★☆☆☆
Replayability: ★★☆☆☆
Acting: ★★★½☆
Directing: ★½☆☆☆

Audio/Visual:
Superhero Movie might not be the best movie but it certainly comes with a nice quality. Presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, this transfer doesn’t offer too much to complain about. The colors are solid, the blacks are on level, and the visual quality is sharp without being too sharp. Things like compression errors, noise, dirt, and other issues along that line are almost non-existent.

The audio is handled with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Despite offering a stellar option, not much of it is used to make it sound any different than what could have been handled with a 2.0 presentation. The audio sounds fine, but it is basic at best. No bells and whistles are taken advantage of, but volume toggling isn’t needed either. The worst crime that this audio quality can be given is that its 100% average.

Visual: ★★★★½
Audio: ★★★☆☆

Bonus Features:
There are a number of bonus features here, though none of them are incredibly exciting. The audio commentary features the likes of Craig Mazin, Robert K. Weiss, and David Zucker. This is an alright listen. Mazin handles the majority of the commentary, which comes through as well as can be expected. It, like the movie, is at times entertaining, though it never fully remains interesting.

The bonus section includes more than 21 deleted and/or extended scenes and an alternative ending. The alternate ending sucks more than the one in the film. The 20+ extended/deleted scenes are pretty useless. Most of them only last for a second or two and add in one or more lame jokes. The Tom Cruise impression is extended in this section and while funny, it’s obvious why the additional material was not added into the finished product.

Two featurettes are included in this set, “Meet the Cast” and “The Art of Spoofing”. Both are bland and unnecessary, but they are here so they got their mention. Finally, the set rounds out bonuses with the theatrical trailer and a few other trailers including one for The Hammer and The Nanny Diaries.

Bonus Features: ★★☆☆☆

Bottom Line:
Superhero Movie is out of its league and that is the nicest way to put it. In an area where movies like Scary Movie and Airplane reign, the standards are high and this one just doesn’t make it. Sure, it’s funnier than Meet the Spartans, but that isn’t saying much. My advice is that if you’re going to watch this you should rent it first. That saves you over $15 and ensures that you will know if you enjoy it enough to want to own it in the first place.

Overall Rating: ★★½☆☆

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