SUPERGUY: BEHIND THE CAPE (4 outta 5 stars) Wow... seeing this obviously cheaply-made DVD on sale at Wal-Mart for $4.00 I expected it might be an amusing little joke... I was certainly NOT prepared for it to be so intelligently-written and creatively handled! Basically the movie is a "documentary" whose premise is "what if there was an actual superhero who had to live and work in the real world?" Every possible angle of this scenario is explored in amusing AND thought-provoking fashion. At times the movie does go a little overboard in trying to link "Superguy" to every facet of contemporary culture (i.e. the "Eminem" character) but you don't really want to penalize movie makers for being TOO imaginative, do you? The movie's description and low budget might lead you to expect nothing more than a zany comedy... but, in between the funny bits, the movie dares to present actual commentary on the concept of heroism and the on-going war between celebrities and the media. The "documentary" angle works very well for a low budget feature... some of the special effects that are employed throughout are actually very impressive! (A scene where people are deliberately leaping off buildings in the hopes that they will meet Superguy looks chillingly real.) A pity that the flying effects look so bad most of the time because everything else seems completely convincing (well, that costume needs some work, too). A terrific movie which deserves to become more well-known!
6 Reviews
Hilarious! Provocative! Do we need superheroes?
dlindegren21 July 2004
Far and away, hands down, a superior flick to Spider Man 2.
SuperGuy: Behind the Cape is more than tongue-in-cheek: it's tongue hanging all the way out. A well-developed plot line combined with great special effects create a superb backdrop for the whole question of why we look outside of ourselves for power. The message unfolds uproariously in numerous subplots: that True Power Lies Within Us. It's a great ride, and a great story. One that not only entertains but enlightens. It'll really make you think...laughing all the way
SuperGuy: Behind the Cape is more than tongue-in-cheek: it's tongue hanging all the way out. A well-developed plot line combined with great special effects create a superb backdrop for the whole question of why we look outside of ourselves for power. The message unfolds uproariously in numerous subplots: that True Power Lies Within Us. It's a great ride, and a great story. One that not only entertains but enlightens. It'll really make you think...laughing all the way
'SuperGuy' an uproarious, well-thought-out movie
greg-glen9 July 2007
"SuperGuy: Beyond the Cape" is an absolutely hilarious comedy exploring the societal absurdities of our time and pop culture's fascination with super heroes. There are great performances here, some of them by relatively unknown names. I have simply not seen a movie so consistently funny in a long time. The makers of this took the time to think out the comic and logical implications of their ideas and they exploit the comic possibilities to the max! The idea of exploring the ramifications of a super hero living in the 'real world' is so ripe with absurd potential it's a wonder no feature film director never took a stab at it before(to my knowledge, anyway). The satire of the current news media is particularly sharp here. I also got a kick out of the SuperGuy religious cult stuff and the portrait of the obsessive 'fan boy' sort. Some reviewers tended to compare this film to "Spinal Tap," which seems to have achieved almost iconic status in film satire. I think, however, that the humour in "Spinal Tap" was rather scattergun and a little too broad - I liked it, but I thought it could have been more. "SuperGuy," on the other hand, has a mercilessly tight focus. Some of the little touches are quite telling. Even the extras are up to the rest of the movie. It's nice to see people taking the time and effort to get things right. I totally recommend this movie. The laughs just don't let up. Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada.
The laughs never come
ecrvich28 March 2005
While an interesting idea (what would be the ramifications of having a real life superhero?), this fake documentary just doesn't come together well. It did little more than evoke a smirk for me, but based on the subject matter and some of the DVD case photos (Superguy smoking and drinking in a bar, in full costume no less), I expected to laugh.
I agree with some of the suggestions concerning how the media and general public would react, and I do think the ending makes sense. So it is admittedly a pretty realistic and thoughtful look at the phenomenon. Mark Teague works fairly well as the misunderstood superhero character, and the rest of the actors hold up their parts as well as could be expected (some believable, some overplayed). The special effects are quite low budget, and the flying scenes are considerably worse than the original 1970's Superman. Which could have been a source of humor, perhaps if they'd made the flying effects ridiculously bad. I think the problem is the filmmakers were trying to be serious when they should have been going for laughs, and vice versa.
My biggest complaint, though, is that many of the sequences and subjects go on far too long (OK, OK, we get the point), and the laughs just never quite materialize. As a 20-30 minute short, it could have been much better, but at 74 minutes its ideas are pushed to the breaking point.
So, while not without some redeeming qualities, I cannot recommend Superguy overall. 5 out of 10.
I agree with some of the suggestions concerning how the media and general public would react, and I do think the ending makes sense. So it is admittedly a pretty realistic and thoughtful look at the phenomenon. Mark Teague works fairly well as the misunderstood superhero character, and the rest of the actors hold up their parts as well as could be expected (some believable, some overplayed). The special effects are quite low budget, and the flying scenes are considerably worse than the original 1970's Superman. Which could have been a source of humor, perhaps if they'd made the flying effects ridiculously bad. I think the problem is the filmmakers were trying to be serious when they should have been going for laughs, and vice versa.
My biggest complaint, though, is that many of the sequences and subjects go on far too long (OK, OK, we get the point), and the laughs just never quite materialize. As a 20-30 minute short, it could have been much better, but at 74 minutes its ideas are pushed to the breaking point.
So, while not without some redeeming qualities, I cannot recommend Superguy overall. 5 out of 10.
I hope Super Guy falls off a horse in the near future
Sortyxt6 October 2009
Superguy is a horrendous, pointless mockumentary that satirizes nothing. The plot is about a guy with super powers living in the real world. Kinda like Hancock, if Will Smith had no talent and looked like a kid toucher.
The documentary takes us through a look at Superguy's birth, youth, and career as a crime fighter. None of this being interesting in anyway. Instead of parodying Superman, the movie pretty much just rips off his story, and adds some filler material to waste time. If not for finding this in the comedy section, I would have had no idea this thing was supposed to be funny. I've had more laughs reading the diary of Anne Frank.
This is what you get when someone takes what should have been a worthless three minute Youtube video, and decides to make it a feature film. How anyone could find anything redeeming about this movie is mind boggling (this coming from a guy who thought a few of the al jazeera beheading videos were well directed).
Anyone thinking of purchasing, renting, or viewing this movie should think again. I've spent more enjoyable evenings at the hospital watching my grandfather die of cancer. Shame on you, Mark Teague. Even God won't forgive you for this abomination.
The documentary takes us through a look at Superguy's birth, youth, and career as a crime fighter. None of this being interesting in anyway. Instead of parodying Superman, the movie pretty much just rips off his story, and adds some filler material to waste time. If not for finding this in the comedy section, I would have had no idea this thing was supposed to be funny. I've had more laughs reading the diary of Anne Frank.
This is what you get when someone takes what should have been a worthless three minute Youtube video, and decides to make it a feature film. How anyone could find anything redeeming about this movie is mind boggling (this coming from a guy who thought a few of the al jazeera beheading videos were well directed).
Anyone thinking of purchasing, renting, or viewing this movie should think again. I've spent more enjoyable evenings at the hospital watching my grandfather die of cancer. Shame on you, Mark Teague. Even God won't forgive you for this abomination.
Post-9/11 Look at Superheroes?
AndyEN7 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
As with a lot of people on this board, I discovered this DVD at Wal-Mart. Realizing that all kinds of things could go wrong, particularly since it was clearly going to be a low budget thing, I bought it in the remote chance that they would actually do the concept right. Happily they did.
Possible spoilers: The disc has copyright dates of 2000 and 2004 but the IMDb date of 2002 seems more accurate: people jumping off of buildings, successful terrorist attacks on American soil, the impotency of the superhero to solve all real life problems... the film very much feels like how superheroes were perceived even by many comic book readers right after 9/11.
To that end I don't necessarily agree with all the film's conclusions (I think the concept of the superhero as metaphor for aspiring for something greater is stronger than the filmmakers give it credit for) but the fact that a low budget film warrants analysis in terms of both the hero archetype and as a metaphor for 9/11 is very impressive.
If you want to take a chance on any $5 DVD at Wal-Mart or similar store, I'd make it this one.
Possible spoilers: The disc has copyright dates of 2000 and 2004 but the IMDb date of 2002 seems more accurate: people jumping off of buildings, successful terrorist attacks on American soil, the impotency of the superhero to solve all real life problems... the film very much feels like how superheroes were perceived even by many comic book readers right after 9/11.
To that end I don't necessarily agree with all the film's conclusions (I think the concept of the superhero as metaphor for aspiring for something greater is stronger than the filmmakers give it credit for) but the fact that a low budget film warrants analysis in terms of both the hero archetype and as a metaphor for 9/11 is very impressive.
If you want to take a chance on any $5 DVD at Wal-Mart or similar store, I'd make it this one.
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