Surge of Power (2004)

User Rating:

3.2/10   

Director:

Mike Donahue

Writer:

Vincent J. Roth (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Comic book fan happens upon a merchant who reveals Issue No.1 of "Surge of Power", introducing the wacky...

Plot Keywords:

Superhero | Spoof | Comic Book | Violence | Gay Interest

Cast

Jason Allen	...	Costume Party guest
Alison Arngrim	...	Herself
Gene Barsamian	...	Therapist
Joey Bourgeois	...	Young Man / That Guy
Trev Broudy	...	Friend #3
Russ Brown	...	Investor
Harry Cassidy	...	Dr. Cranky
Billy Castro	...	Costume Party Guest
Colleen Crosby	...	Costume Party guest
Shawn Crosby	...	Costume Party Guest
Elizabeth da Costa	...	Professor Beatrice
Erica Doering	...	Guest #3
Erica Doerner	...	Police Officer Barbara
John Ferrell	...	Bully #2
Lou Ferrigno	...	Himself
Bernard Fox	...	Himself
John Gawryk	...	Costume Party Guest
Seth Harrington	...	Scott
Jacob Hobbs	...	Costume Party Guest
Robert Hurt	...	Prof. Ronald Richards
Leslie Jamarillo	...	Tori
Greg Kimble	...	Gavin's Father
Marty Krofft	...	Himself
Jay Krymis	...	Bar Owner
Matt Lemcke	...	Bank Robbery Spectator
David Mandel	...	Himself
Pat Mannion	...	Bank Robber #2
Andy Margolis	...	Boy #2
Rose Marie	...	Herself
Bob May	...	Himself
Marc Mazur	...	Mugger #1
Peter Miller	...	Bully #1
Alan Mills	...	Comic Book Fan
Shawn Mohler	...	Gymnast in Park
Erin Murphy	...	Herself
Noel Neill	...	Aunt Lois
Nichelle Nichols	...	Oman
Hagen O'Brien	...	Barry
Ryan Oswald	...	Boy #1
Butch Patrick	...	Himself
Jason Peeple	...	Costume Party Guest
Charlie Phillips	...	Friend #1
Derek Poirier	...	Bank Robber #1
Karen Rasor	...	Costume Party Guest
Craig Roberts	...	Costume Party Guest
Vincent J. Roth	...	Gavin Lucas / Surge
Jeff Schuetze	...	Friend #2
Liz Sheridan	...	Herself
Bobby Shirley	...	Boy #3
William Shurmann	...	Mugger #3
Victor Stone	...	Jordan
Tom Tangen	...	Comic Merchant / many characters
Tadao Tomomatsu	...	Guy with Radio
Bobby Trendy	...	Himself
John Venturini	...	Hector Harris / Metal Master
Wayne Vincent	...	Costume Party Guest
Hien Vo	...	Police Officer Diana
Lanette Ware	...	Mayor of Big City
Len Wein	...	Himself
Marv Wolfman	...	Himself
Barry Workman	...	Arthur A. Allen

Runtime:

USA:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Surge of Power Enterprises LLC

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Perla

Cute gay superhero flick with lots of inside jokes

I picked this up as an online rental just because it was highly rated in the gay/lesbian section and I'm glad I did. "Surge of Power" is a cute low budget film with obvious but undeclared gay characters. I enjoyed the story and got many of the insider references placed there just for the gay comics nerds like me. While Vincent Roth's acting skills may not have been super great, his enthusiasm, personality, cute face and chiseled body went a long way in making up for his other deficiencies. Getting through the opening credits, you realize that this is a dream project for Roth and it shows in the script, costumes and other design touches attributed to him.

There were a number of guest appearances by actors associated with comic book and science fiction TV shows like the original Lois Lane (Noel Neill), the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno), and Star Trek's Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). These appearances and other things served to both legitimize as well as poke fun at the movie. Another guest was actor Trev Broudy who was severely beaten in a hate crime in 2002 in his first acting appearance following his recovery.

While the movie may have been a low-budget vanity project, the superhero special effects seemed appropriate most of the time.

I found the movie entertaining as light-hearted fare in the superhero genre. I didn't have high expectations for the movie and was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of the film. If you are a gay comics fanboy, I do recommend this a fun rental.