Flyin' Ryan is one of those rare, underrated movies that comes around once in a blue moon and provides compelling insight into many theories of science and belief. Ryan ultimately wins here by asking the questions and providing the evidence for viewers to draw their own conclusions.
The synopsis is a classic one. A boy (Ryan) moves to a new town and gets bullied by a group of kids. He has a hard time adjusting, living with his crazy aunt, and awkwardly courting his new friend Nicki, the cute, smart girl down the street. Ryan eventually stands up to the bullies, gets the girl(and dog), and saves the day.
Now, I know you are drawing a lot of comparisons to Footloose at this point(yes, both movies have gratuitous shots of feet as well), but this is where they go in completely different directions. Flyin' Ryan involves more complex studies into theories like time travel, levitating (with bicycle reflectors no less), and teleporting. It took about 12 viewings, but I finally learned that Ryan's lack of charisma, character,and general social behavior is actually compensated by his superpowers.
Yes, Ryan has superpowers. The first show of this is actually pretty amazing. He gets pushed into the lake by some bullies in some really shallow water and the next instant transports 8ft out. He appears to be drowning, but it's easy to tell it was really a defense mechanism to get the bullies to go away.
The next is the boat ride across the lake. Anywhere across this particular lake is probably several miles so to paddle-boat anywhere would take the better part of a day. Ryan and Nikki manage to make this trek to the other side and back during the afternoon (This caught my attention when they were having a long conversation in the middle of the lake just floating around and going nowhere). They then made it to this old western town where this old guy who randomly appeared (ghost?) gives Ryan some wheels for his Heelys. So, you ask, how is this possible? Time travel. Ryan can not only get places fast, but he can go back in time. The supernatural aspect of this scene is something to chew on as well.
Okay, so he can teleport and travel through time, so why does he run when he gets chased? Well it's simple. He's baiting the bullies to think he's weaker than he really is. They know something is up once he outruns not just a pack of skateboards, but ATVs! Then BAM! That kid flies! He flies right over a gorram gorge! I want to point out that this chase scene was pretty incredible, rivaling those of Bullitt and T2. When Ryan came face to face with the guy carrying the box of tennis balls, I was like "Oh no! Watch out Ryan! You guys are going to run into each other!!!" And then it happened. The guy threw his tennis balls in the air and the skateboarders rolled in and crashed. I was all, "Smooth move Ryan! What a fast thinking plan!" I almost passed out when the motorcycle was about to hit the karate instructor but he jumped right over it! Anyway, Ryan outruns the conveniently placed ATVs that the bullies get on and jumps (sorry flies) over a gorge. Damn, he's going to get some flying lessons from Nicki later that night if you know what I mean.
The plot unfolds as his aunt's house gets smashed up and his dog is stolen. Ryan hatches a plan to fly across the county to a quarry and retrieve his dog. Turns out the dog was stolen by Dirk and sold to his cousin to be a guard dog at the quarry. After some cool chase scenes, Ryan shoves the dog in his backpack, flies to the hospital, and gets a kiss from Nicki!
Overall, this movie had a very positive and compelling message. I thought about what might happen to Ryan if he couldn't do all the cool stuff he did, like if he was a normal kid. Obviously, Nicki chose him for his powers. Like most girls, she chose the guy that will get her ahead in life.
The performances were nuanced and dynamic. Andy Weiss played Ryan with heart and believability. I wouldn't have cast anyone else to play the part of a socially inept kid who has superpowers. Geneve Rupert shines as Nicki, the girl vying for Ryan's affection. Hell, I would want a boyfriend who could time travel, teleport, and fly too! Connor Snyder steals the show though as Aunt Rita. Every scene she's in dominates and really showcases the superb writing in this movie.
At the end of this movie, I have a lot of questions. Did these amazing feats happen because the science is there and Ryan was a superhuman, or was there belief and divine intervention involved? I happen to think that Ryan believed he could fly when he was cornered in the chase scene, but why would he need the shoes? God could have had a hand in this, but I also believe the shoes are the key. Magic would be a product of the supernatural, and we see this time and time again in the movie, but there is simply no real explanation. Makes you think.
Anyway, this is a great movie. I recommend it to anyone who wants something to chew on. I thought Memento was a smart and well crafted movie, but Ryan may be on a different level entirely. See it!
The synopsis is a classic one. A boy (Ryan) moves to a new town and gets bullied by a group of kids. He has a hard time adjusting, living with his crazy aunt, and awkwardly courting his new friend Nicki, the cute, smart girl down the street. Ryan eventually stands up to the bullies, gets the girl(and dog), and saves the day.
Now, I know you are drawing a lot of comparisons to Footloose at this point(yes, both movies have gratuitous shots of feet as well), but this is where they go in completely different directions. Flyin' Ryan involves more complex studies into theories like time travel, levitating (with bicycle reflectors no less), and teleporting. It took about 12 viewings, but I finally learned that Ryan's lack of charisma, character,and general social behavior is actually compensated by his superpowers.
Yes, Ryan has superpowers. The first show of this is actually pretty amazing. He gets pushed into the lake by some bullies in some really shallow water and the next instant transports 8ft out. He appears to be drowning, but it's easy to tell it was really a defense mechanism to get the bullies to go away.
The next is the boat ride across the lake. Anywhere across this particular lake is probably several miles so to paddle-boat anywhere would take the better part of a day. Ryan and Nikki manage to make this trek to the other side and back during the afternoon (This caught my attention when they were having a long conversation in the middle of the lake just floating around and going nowhere). They then made it to this old western town where this old guy who randomly appeared (ghost?) gives Ryan some wheels for his Heelys. So, you ask, how is this possible? Time travel. Ryan can not only get places fast, but he can go back in time. The supernatural aspect of this scene is something to chew on as well.
Okay, so he can teleport and travel through time, so why does he run when he gets chased? Well it's simple. He's baiting the bullies to think he's weaker than he really is. They know something is up once he outruns not just a pack of skateboards, but ATVs! Then BAM! That kid flies! He flies right over a gorram gorge! I want to point out that this chase scene was pretty incredible, rivaling those of Bullitt and T2. When Ryan came face to face with the guy carrying the box of tennis balls, I was like "Oh no! Watch out Ryan! You guys are going to run into each other!!!" And then it happened. The guy threw his tennis balls in the air and the skateboarders rolled in and crashed. I was all, "Smooth move Ryan! What a fast thinking plan!" I almost passed out when the motorcycle was about to hit the karate instructor but he jumped right over it! Anyway, Ryan outruns the conveniently placed ATVs that the bullies get on and jumps (sorry flies) over a gorge. Damn, he's going to get some flying lessons from Nicki later that night if you know what I mean.
The plot unfolds as his aunt's house gets smashed up and his dog is stolen. Ryan hatches a plan to fly across the county to a quarry and retrieve his dog. Turns out the dog was stolen by Dirk and sold to his cousin to be a guard dog at the quarry. After some cool chase scenes, Ryan shoves the dog in his backpack, flies to the hospital, and gets a kiss from Nicki!
Overall, this movie had a very positive and compelling message. I thought about what might happen to Ryan if he couldn't do all the cool stuff he did, like if he was a normal kid. Obviously, Nicki chose him for his powers. Like most girls, she chose the guy that will get her ahead in life.
The performances were nuanced and dynamic. Andy Weiss played Ryan with heart and believability. I wouldn't have cast anyone else to play the part of a socially inept kid who has superpowers. Geneve Rupert shines as Nicki, the girl vying for Ryan's affection. Hell, I would want a boyfriend who could time travel, teleport, and fly too! Connor Snyder steals the show though as Aunt Rita. Every scene she's in dominates and really showcases the superb writing in this movie.
At the end of this movie, I have a lot of questions. Did these amazing feats happen because the science is there and Ryan was a superhuman, or was there belief and divine intervention involved? I happen to think that Ryan believed he could fly when he was cornered in the chase scene, but why would he need the shoes? God could have had a hand in this, but I also believe the shoes are the key. Magic would be a product of the supernatural, and we see this time and time again in the movie, but there is simply no real explanation. Makes you think.
Anyway, this is a great movie. I recommend it to anyone who wants something to chew on. I thought Memento was a smart and well crafted movie, but Ryan may be on a different level entirely. See it!