The "Mystery Men" are a ragtag bunch of semi-super-powered misfits that make unlikely guardians of "Champion City", but it's how hard they try to be crime fighters that counts, and what wins us over.
In this ode to the losers, underdogs and wanna-bes of the world, we find hilarity and ingenuity as spawned from "Dark Horse" comic books. In all fairness, I've never actually read one of the comic books that inspired this film, but I don't think that matters; the story unfolds just like a comic book would. Bright colours and busy backdrops throughout the film make it feel as though cartoon bubbles should be popping out of everyone's mouths.
We are treated to some utter silliness right from the get go, and our "heroes" feel so familiar to us in a way that almost defies understanding. But I think it's because unlike most of the superheroes that we've come to know and revere, these guys make the same kind of boneheaded blunders that we all do on a regular basis. They look and act like knobs and basically crime fighting is their hobby. It makes them seem all the more real despite the ridiculous nature of their powers and/or trademarks.
It's the villains that are truly ridiculous and harder to relate to. From disco loving pimp-like thugs to corporate big-wig down-sizers to fraternity boys, they all serve as amusing adversaries but without too much focus on them as most of the fun comes from learning the history of each of the "Mystery Men" and their dysfunctional roles in society.
There are many very funny moments that are almost completely contextual which means the film gets better and better as it goes along. But I guess you have to be in the right mood for this kind of film and just go with it. I can see how someone might see it as stupid or silly, but I can safely say that they've put a lot of thought and creativity into this venture, and I found myself wishing it was longer even after almost two hours.
Another factor of this film to be commended on is it's intentional downplay of lethal force. For the most part, the violence is physical and the heroes weapons are not instruments of death.
My hope is that Universal will choose to offer supplementary bonus material on the imminent DVD release of this film, as they have with their other excellent "Collector's Editions" that feature great behind the scenes moments and interviews. I'm sure there's plenty of interesting background on a film like this one.
In this ode to the losers, underdogs and wanna-bes of the world, we find hilarity and ingenuity as spawned from "Dark Horse" comic books. In all fairness, I've never actually read one of the comic books that inspired this film, but I don't think that matters; the story unfolds just like a comic book would. Bright colours and busy backdrops throughout the film make it feel as though cartoon bubbles should be popping out of everyone's mouths.
We are treated to some utter silliness right from the get go, and our "heroes" feel so familiar to us in a way that almost defies understanding. But I think it's because unlike most of the superheroes that we've come to know and revere, these guys make the same kind of boneheaded blunders that we all do on a regular basis. They look and act like knobs and basically crime fighting is their hobby. It makes them seem all the more real despite the ridiculous nature of their powers and/or trademarks.
It's the villains that are truly ridiculous and harder to relate to. From disco loving pimp-like thugs to corporate big-wig down-sizers to fraternity boys, they all serve as amusing adversaries but without too much focus on them as most of the fun comes from learning the history of each of the "Mystery Men" and their dysfunctional roles in society.
There are many very funny moments that are almost completely contextual which means the film gets better and better as it goes along. But I guess you have to be in the right mood for this kind of film and just go with it. I can see how someone might see it as stupid or silly, but I can safely say that they've put a lot of thought and creativity into this venture, and I found myself wishing it was longer even after almost two hours.
Another factor of this film to be commended on is it's intentional downplay of lethal force. For the most part, the violence is physical and the heroes weapons are not instruments of death.
My hope is that Universal will choose to offer supplementary bonus material on the imminent DVD release of this film, as they have with their other excellent "Collector's Editions" that feature great behind the scenes moments and interviews. I'm sure there's plenty of interesting background on a film like this one.