This is a beautifully done buddy-road trip movie set in a time that only some of us will remember. The pre Vietnam war innocence is a given here. What and how these boys experience the inevitable ending of their relationship is based on a different era but is still as important to us today. They end their times together peacefully. A fork in the road. I had this experience personally as the only kid in my family or high school class to go away to college. This was a long time before Viet Nam but the leaving was almost as poignant. What I most liked was the bond between the two despite obvious differences to the outside world. Loyalty and trust would be one of the finer aspects of this friendship.
4 Reviews
Simply Wonderful
garrett-kastelic5 June 2019
Going into this movie, I knew it wasn't gonna be Hollywood, yet that's what made the movie so wonderful. The story is of 2 friends who face a split in there friendship when Charlie is going to college and Derrick is being shipped off to the Vietnam War. Derrick and Charlie go on one last adventure before the real world sets in. This movie was filmed in the beautiful Upper Peninsula which made the scenery so visually beautiful.
so unexciting it put me to sleep
sandcrab27714 December 2019
"Superior" excels
sinnerofcinema7 June 2015
Edd Benda's "Superior" is a heartwarming story of two good friends during the height of the Vietman War in 1969. Charlie & Derek played with emotional depth by Paul Stanko & Thatcher Robinson embark on a final adventure before they must confront their futures. Charlie is headed to Michigan Tech University & Derek counts his days before he becomes eligible for the draft. With two speed Schwinn bicycles and very little preparation Charlie & Derek pedal through the shores of lake Superior along the massive backwoods of Michigan, Minnesota & Canada. A deep platonic emotional bond mixed with nostalgia surrounds a very compelling coming of age story. During their adventures, they face hunger, exhaustion and a deep bond for one another. Their love for each other is specially noticeable during their interactions as many times they must compromise as they divert from their final destination.
Between the laughs, tenderness and childlike interactions both friends share, the relationship between Charlie & Derek emotes an underbelly of sadness for the unpredictability of their futures. Ultimately, the last quarter of the film delivers a tearful & gut-wrenching final act as the boy's journeys finally comes to an end.
With beautiful panoramic shots and a sweeping cinematography, "Superior" delivers. This film has a studio quality feel to it as it transports its viewer back to a time when simplicity was the norm and love and deep friendship could overcome some very compelling odds, due to the unpredictability of war and how it had real repercussions by those affected by it.
Between the laughs, tenderness and childlike interactions both friends share, the relationship between Charlie & Derek emotes an underbelly of sadness for the unpredictability of their futures. Ultimately, the last quarter of the film delivers a tearful & gut-wrenching final act as the boy's journeys finally comes to an end.
With beautiful panoramic shots and a sweeping cinematography, "Superior" delivers. This film has a studio quality feel to it as it transports its viewer back to a time when simplicity was the norm and love and deep friendship could overcome some very compelling odds, due to the unpredictability of war and how it had real repercussions by those affected by it.
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