I wish to reinforce what several other reviewers have striven to persuade potential viewers of "Super Hybrid": that it is not a bad film--certainly not as bad as its low IMDb rating would suggest. I won't go so far as to say it's a great film, or even a very good one, but it does supply what so many other recent horrors do not: genuine entertainment.
A large part of the success is the kick-a** shape-shifting car. In what I presume is its 'base' form, it's a matte black '77 Chevy Nova (I think!). But it transforms itself into various other familiar muscle cars or pickups. If you love sweet rides, this movie will appeal. The driving chase sequences in the parking station are really well done also and the tire-squealing and rubber burning are further bonuses for rev-heads.
The car's biggest problem is under the hood. The CG effects for the big blobby gelatinous turtle-without-a-shell thing that is the actual creature 'unmasked' are pretty...um...poor. But hey! It doesn't matter so much. The whole film has a made-for-TV look to it, and some of the acting is pure daytime telly, so a viewer shouldn't really expect too much effects-wise.
Besides, the acting isn't so bad. The worst is the boyfriend in the beginning, but we don't see much of him. The a**hole boss, Ray, has his moments too, but you can put up with it.
One small thing I liked about this movie is that certain common sense idiocies that film makers often perpetrate, and which infuriate viewers, are avoided in "Super Hybrid". For example, when escaping the car in the parking lot, some characters run behind pylons to avoid being hit, instead of just running straight ahead to get chomped up; that's the smart thing to do, but so many film makers don't seem to like common sense choices like that. In one scene they try to ride some big dumb-a** police Harley (?) up some stairs. In "Ghost Rider" they may have pulled something like that off, but here the makers say, "No", and stupid ungainly bike just topples over a coupla steps in and riders are unceremoniously deposited on their a**es. As I said, it's a small thing--and there are plenty of other things that make no sense at all--but I noticed it and thought it was a smart touch.
Comparisons have been made in these pages with 1977's "The Car" and, while the earlier movie is far better in my estimation, it's not an invalid proposal. The key with both these movies is the car itself. As the stars of the show, they need to be as cool and bad-a** as they are. While not quite as awesome as the car of the earlier film, this shape-shifting mo-fo is still pretty darn cool and, as stated above, THAT is the real drawcard here. "Super Hybrid" is pretty much a success in this all important department. It's this coupled with decent pacing, well conceived and executed action sequences, and a solid score that elevate this above the dross it could so easily have been.
I want to mention the score once more. It's not something you expect to praise in a film like this, but I thought it was effective, unobtrusive when required, and well-suited to the scenes it illustrated. The opening aerial shot makes particularly effective use of the music.
So, for a silly, low budget, B-grade flick, "Super Hybrid" ticks the important 'Entertaining' box and a few others besides. Ignore the nay-sayers. Car buffs will likey and true horror fans (despite the lack of gore) will find something to enjoy. A solid 5.5 to 6 from me.
A large part of the success is the kick-a** shape-shifting car. In what I presume is its 'base' form, it's a matte black '77 Chevy Nova (I think!). But it transforms itself into various other familiar muscle cars or pickups. If you love sweet rides, this movie will appeal. The driving chase sequences in the parking station are really well done also and the tire-squealing and rubber burning are further bonuses for rev-heads.
The car's biggest problem is under the hood. The CG effects for the big blobby gelatinous turtle-without-a-shell thing that is the actual creature 'unmasked' are pretty...um...poor. But hey! It doesn't matter so much. The whole film has a made-for-TV look to it, and some of the acting is pure daytime telly, so a viewer shouldn't really expect too much effects-wise.
Besides, the acting isn't so bad. The worst is the boyfriend in the beginning, but we don't see much of him. The a**hole boss, Ray, has his moments too, but you can put up with it.
One small thing I liked about this movie is that certain common sense idiocies that film makers often perpetrate, and which infuriate viewers, are avoided in "Super Hybrid". For example, when escaping the car in the parking lot, some characters run behind pylons to avoid being hit, instead of just running straight ahead to get chomped up; that's the smart thing to do, but so many film makers don't seem to like common sense choices like that. In one scene they try to ride some big dumb-a** police Harley (?) up some stairs. In "Ghost Rider" they may have pulled something like that off, but here the makers say, "No", and stupid ungainly bike just topples over a coupla steps in and riders are unceremoniously deposited on their a**es. As I said, it's a small thing--and there are plenty of other things that make no sense at all--but I noticed it and thought it was a smart touch.
Comparisons have been made in these pages with 1977's "The Car" and, while the earlier movie is far better in my estimation, it's not an invalid proposal. The key with both these movies is the car itself. As the stars of the show, they need to be as cool and bad-a** as they are. While not quite as awesome as the car of the earlier film, this shape-shifting mo-fo is still pretty darn cool and, as stated above, THAT is the real drawcard here. "Super Hybrid" is pretty much a success in this all important department. It's this coupled with decent pacing, well conceived and executed action sequences, and a solid score that elevate this above the dross it could so easily have been.
I want to mention the score once more. It's not something you expect to praise in a film like this, but I thought it was effective, unobtrusive when required, and well-suited to the scenes it illustrated. The opening aerial shot makes particularly effective use of the music.
So, for a silly, low budget, B-grade flick, "Super Hybrid" ticks the important 'Entertaining' box and a few others besides. Ignore the nay-sayers. Car buffs will likey and true horror fans (despite the lack of gore) will find something to enjoy. A solid 5.5 to 6 from me.