14 Aug
11:50AM
I received a text the other day from a very good friend suggesting this documentary. Unfortunately I was out swing dancing at the time and was unable to check it out. After I went to the Fletcher-Conte wedding Saturday night I stayed at my cousin's in Shamong, NJ. My aunt and uncle were also raving about this superheroes documentary on HBO saying how hilarious it was. So after when I got home today, on this beautiful Philadelphia Sunday afternoon (77 and raining), I decided to give it a shot.
The movie starts out pretty ridiculously as it follows "Mr. Extreme" an overweight and strange yet genuine real life superhero. Mr. Extreme patrols the streets of San Diego I believe it was and he resides in the "Extremecave" which is his small cluttered apartment. At first this documentary struck me as a hoax, since Mr. Extreme is definitely a colorful individual (one who seems to really enjoy Power Rangers). As the film moved forward I found that it did in fact portray a realistic albeit crazy look at real life superheroes.
By the end of the film it seemed that these heroes were more interested in giving back to society than fighting crime. To me that seems like a noble cause and provided a solid theme that came across at the end of the movie pretty well. With all the personality quirks aside these people genuinely wanted to make the world a better place, and who can fault them for that. As usual they portrayed modern day police in a very unflattering light, but to be honest I doesn't take much more than a camera to provide that insight. The gang of do-gooders in Brooklyn struck me as the only true threat to criminals on the street with the exception of maybe the martial arts instructor in New York City.
All in all the movie could very well have been a fake, I haven't actually looked it up but it seemed genuine enough that it could be real. I think it was a nice spin on modern day superhero movies and a nice look at how everyday people could get together, take neighborhood watch to the next level, and have some fun with it. At a little over 80 minutes long I'd recommend it to anyone who would like have a few laughs with some very distinct characters.
Score: 8 / 10
- Fun movie to watch with a bunch of friends
- Strange but ultimately good message
- Likable everyday characters