The Meteor Man (1993)

A high school teacher from a troubled inner city Washington D.C. neighborhood becomes a super-powered hero and takes on the gang that has been terrorizing his streets.

Director:

Robert Townsend

Writer:

Robert Townsend

Stars:

Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, Eddie Griffin

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Townsend	...	Jefferson Reed
Marla Gibbs	...	Mrs. Reed, Jeff's Mother
Eddie Griffin	...	Michael
Robert Guillaume	...	Ted Reed, Jeff's Father
James Earl Jones	...	Earnest Moses
Roy Fegan	...	Simon, Golden Lord Chief
Cynthia Belgrave	...	Mrs. Harris
Marilyn Coleman	...	Mrs. Walker, Reed's Landlady
Don Cheadle	...	Goldilocks
Bobby McGee	...	Uzi, Golden Lord Gunman
Bill Cosby	...	Marvin
Big Daddy Kane	...	Pirate
Frank Gorshin	...	Byers the Mobster
Sinbad	...	Malik, Stacy's Boyfriend
Nancy Wilson	...	Mrs. Laws the Principal

Storyline

One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights. He can master the information in any book ... for about fifteen minutes. Now his friends and family want him to protect their community from the dreaded Golden Lords.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | spoof | gang violence | written and directed by cast member | telekinesis | 

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Taglines:

He's coming to save the world, one neighborhood at a time.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG on appeal for children caught up in perils of an urban environment

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meteor Man

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,023,147 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Tinsel Townsend

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Re-rated "PG" on appeal after originally drawing a "PG-13" rating from the MPAA.

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Goofs

When Jeff is fighting Simon the character Goldilocks can be seen goofing around, as if he's coming out of his character.

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Quotes

Byers the Mobster: What? WHAAAAAT?

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Connections

References Iron Man (1966)

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Soundtracks

"TOO LEGIT TO QUIT"
Written by M.C. Hammer (as Hammer), Felton Pilate (as Felton C. Pilate II),
Michael Kelly, Louis K.Burrell and James Earley
Performed by M.C. Hammer (as Hammer)
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Not a bad film, but I think I know what's wrong.

There's no plot.

There's a fine story about a man gaining superpowers to clean up the neighborhood, but his adventures seem rather random. His adversaries also seem to lack a larger plan. The combination of the two makes for a fairly decent film that lacks a couple of key elements to make it an increbidly good film.

The comedy is good, as is the overall story. The acting is also top notch, as the characters portrayed are fun and enjoyable (I'm at a real loss to understand why other reviewers panned the acting ... possibly because they don't understand what it is they didn't like about the movie). But again the characters seem to lack a plan for their actions.

The gags in the film are exceptional, as is the case with the supermajority of Townsend's material. However a dash more comedy could've served this film as the jokes are more sporatic than constant. Not a whole lot more but a few more comic bits and comical characters could've really helped the film, because, like I said, the film bounces between a light hearted adventured and comedy. And I think this too probably confounded the people who didn't like the film.

The one thing I liked a great deal was seeing a lot of familiar actors one normally doesn't see. Read that as "black actors." Regrettably it takes a man like Townsend to bring a black cast to life. And I suppose on one plane that is as it should be; for who better to bring to life a tale of a Black/African-American/person-of-color superhero than a Black/African-American/person-of-color writer-director-actor?

An enjoyable film that strives for an A, but just misses its mark. It's definately worth seeing, and is very enjoyable, but if you come away somewhat empty understand that it's essentially a one man show where the writing is concerned.

A note to Townsend; make a sequel. This film deserves one, but bring in other writers to help you out with the script. A few more gags/jokes, and more plot, and you have yourself one fine film.