Directed by: Craig Mazin
Starring: Drake Bell, Christopher McDonald, Sara Paxton, Leslie Nielsen, Marion Ross, Robert Hays, Kevin Hart, Miles Fisher
Superhero Movie is a laffaminit spoof on the tail end of the Scary Movie parodies of the 2000's. Is it worse than the recent Marvel movie slate? No. In some ways, it's 75-minute running time is a relief. Movies like Thunderbolts are only halfway over at that time. At least Superhero movie knows when to exit gracefully, or exit in any respect.
The plot covers your average superhero movie with awkward teen Rick Riker (Bell), who pines for the comely Jill Johnson (Paxton) at his high school and is bit by a radiation-altered dragonfly on a school trip. He then develops superpowers (except for the ability to fly) and fights crime while trying to battle the evil Lou Landers aka Hourglass (McDonald), who is terminally ill and injects himself with chemicals from his company and develops an insatiable appetite to kill. So far, it's Spider-Man with the infusion of nonstop sight and verbal gags being hurled at the viewer relentlessly. Some of the gags stick, most flop, and then we're left with a parody that doesn't much feel differently from the real thing.
Superhero Movie throws its jokes at us in Airplane! style, and it's worth noting that two of that movie's stars, Leslie Nielsen and Robert Hays, both appear in this movie. They have no scenes together, but I think their off-screen reunion was probably more engaging than Superhero Movie. Oh, and yes the Miles Fisher impression of Tom Cruise is spot-on, leading to a fun payoff in a movie where such gags that land are few and far between.
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