Mystery Men
Directed by Kinka Usher
Starring Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchel, Jannine Garafolo, Wes Studi, Geoffery Rush, and Greg Kinnear
It seems August has become the month for superhero movies. Two years ago, we got Spawn at this time, and last year it was Blade. Now, we get Mystery Men. As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for anything based on a comic book. So, when my friends called me up and asked if I wanted to see it, I was there!
The plot: Things are tough for Captain Amazing (Kinnear), the superhero of Champion City. Seems that he’s defeated all his supervillains and reduced the crime rate to zero, so his sponsors have started to pull out. His solution: rig the parole hearing of one of his greatest archenemies, Cassanova Frankenstein (Rush). But, Frankenstein quickly gets the upper hand, and captures the good captain! So, a group of superhero wannabes decide that this is their time to hit the big time. Our heroes: Mr. Furious (Stiller), with his uncontrollable rage, the Shoveler (Macy), who wields a mean shovel, the Blue Raja (Azaria), who throws silverware with deadly accuracy, the Bowler (Garafolo), who hurls her bowling ball at her opponents, the Spleen (Reubens), who has deadly flatulence, the Sphinx (Studi), who’s just so darn mysterious, and the Invisible Boy (Mitchel), who can turn invisible when no one’s looking at him. With the assistance of Dr. Heller, the non-violent weapons designer, they go off to rescue Captain Amazing and save the city!
This movie is just so funny! It is a great action/comedy, and just a great spoof of comics. Kinnear is great as the sell-out Captain Amazing, and our group of heroes is great as a group who just wants to do the right thing. And this film is also great looking! Champion City is a great amalgam of Gotham City, Metropolis, and all those other superhero cities. My favorite of the group: the Shovler. When you think about it, a shovel could be a cool substitute for a lightsaber. This movie rocks! Go see it! And it proves that there’s a little bit of a superhero in all of us.
Oh, and a sidenote: I think I’ve figured out what superhero I am. All summer, when I’ve met up with friends to see a movie, I’ve been the guy with the car. So, I am. . .the Driver! My power: I’m an exceptionally good driver! I’m even working on a catch phrase: “I’ll stay with the car!”