I can only enjoy "The Meteor Man" as a so-bad-it's-good film, and, on that level, it's quite amusing. Its supposedly earnest depictions of gang violence are ludicrous, and, as a partial comedy, the kiddie jokes are only funny for how stupid they are. The picture is thoroughly stuffed with clichés. Sometimes, I think I was chuckling along with it, but mostly I was just laughing at it. The one clever element is the insertion of comic books within the superhero narrative, which underscore "The Meteor Man" being about African-American representation in an otherwise white-dominated genre. This is along the lines of much of classic blaxploitation cinema, and one could see it as a precursor paving the way for a future blockbuster such as "Black Panther" (2018), but this particular iteration is impossible to take too seriously. It's too inept.
In it, a milquetoast substitute teacher is struck by a glowing, green meteorite, which, of course, gives him superpowers. After his mom makes him a proper uniform (including the laughable trope of him trying on various alternate costumes in a montage sequence played out in front of friends and family), he employs his newfound abilities to rid his neighborhood of crime. One of the many eye-rolling interludes sees Meteor Man convincing cops and gangsters to drop their guns during a shootout and enter into a dialogue, which results in both sides trying to better their streets, I guess. The Black Man of Steel also finds time to use his powers to grow a community garden of giant vegetables overnight. None of this is as ridiculous as the Goldilocks gang, complete with members of the criminal organization sporting yellow-dyed hair, matching suits and platoons of schoolchildren similarly made up. Arguably, gangsters haven't had this much flair since "West Side Story" (1961). When you think about it that Meteor Man and the Goldilocks boss eventually find themselves in an impromptu runway competition, it makes a lot of sense.
I hope Robert Townsend and company enjoyed making this nonsense as much as I enjoyed viewing it. Actually, the film features an impressive ensemble cast of veteran comic talent, although, granted, much of it's from TV, and it shows. In retrospect, the one blight here is Bill Cosby, playing a supposedly-sweet homeless dog lover, although his use of his own x-ray vision to peer into other people's homes to watch TV, changing the channels, as the home owners standby oblivious in their underwear, seems, uncomfortably, spot on. Anyways, aside from that, "The Meteor Man" is a pleasant and perfectly preposterous picture.
In it, a milquetoast substitute teacher is struck by a glowing, green meteorite, which, of course, gives him superpowers. After his mom makes him a proper uniform (including the laughable trope of him trying on various alternate costumes in a montage sequence played out in front of friends and family), he employs his newfound abilities to rid his neighborhood of crime. One of the many eye-rolling interludes sees Meteor Man convincing cops and gangsters to drop their guns during a shootout and enter into a dialogue, which results in both sides trying to better their streets, I guess. The Black Man of Steel also finds time to use his powers to grow a community garden of giant vegetables overnight. None of this is as ridiculous as the Goldilocks gang, complete with members of the criminal organization sporting yellow-dyed hair, matching suits and platoons of schoolchildren similarly made up. Arguably, gangsters haven't had this much flair since "West Side Story" (1961). When you think about it that Meteor Man and the Goldilocks boss eventually find themselves in an impromptu runway competition, it makes a lot of sense.
I hope Robert Townsend and company enjoyed making this nonsense as much as I enjoyed viewing it. Actually, the film features an impressive ensemble cast of veteran comic talent, although, granted, much of it's from TV, and it shows. In retrospect, the one blight here is Bill Cosby, playing a supposedly-sweet homeless dog lover, although his use of his own x-ray vision to peer into other people's homes to watch TV, changing the channels, as the home owners standby oblivious in their underwear, seems, uncomfortably, spot on. Anyways, aside from that, "The Meteor Man" is a pleasant and perfectly preposterous picture.