Superhero Movie (2008)

Director:

Craig Mazin

Writer (WGA):

Craig Mazin (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest Superhero movie of all time! (not counting all the others)

Plot:

Orphaned high school student Rick Riker is bitten by a radioactive dragonfly, develops super powers (except for the ability to fly), and becomes a hero. |

Plot Keywords:

Dragonfly | Hero | High School | Insect Sting | Hit By Car

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Drake Bell	...	Rick Riker
Sara Paxton	...	Jill Johnson
Christopher McDonald	...	Lou Landers
Leslie Nielsen	...	Uncle Albert
Kevin Hart	...	Trey
Marion Ross	...	Aunt Lucille
Ryan Hansen	...	Lance Landers
Keith David	...	The Chief of Police
Brent Spiner	...	Dr. Strom
Robert Joy	...	Dr. Hawking
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Dr. Whitby
Robert Hays	...	Blaine Riker
Nicole Sullivan	...	Julia Riker
Sam Cohen	...	Young Rick
Tracy Morgan	...	Professor Xavier

Also Known As:

Superhero! (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references and language.

Runtime:

75 min | 82 min (extended edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Finland:K-13 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44303) | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIB | UK:12A | Malaysia:U | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:6 | Germany:12 | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:M | UK:15 (Re-edited Version) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Norway:11 | Iceland:7 | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

It's the second film with Leslie Nielsen and Robert Hays (who plays Blaine Riker, Rick's father). Previously, they played together in Airplane! (1980).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dragonfly learns to fly, he sprouts wings, which would presumably tear through his costume. His back has no rips or tears in later scenes.

Quotes:

Uncle Albert: Remember, with great power comes...
Rick Riker: Great responsibility?
Uncle Albert: Well, I was gonna say bitches, but if you want to be a virgin for the rest of your life...

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Scarface (1983)

Soundtrack:

Oh No You Didn't

An entertaining fuse between old and new styles of spoof movies.

Watching Superhero Movie feels like you're re-watching one of the Naked Gun movies, only there are "deleted scenes" which unfortunately feature pop culture references and fart jokes. It's a fun movie if you're into the genre but overall falls far too short of being as good as the classics.

The cast is great for the material they're working with, with some exceptions being those who are given too little screen time to show their talents. Musician/actor Drake Bell's comedic timing is impressive, as is that of spoof legend Leslie Nielsen.

The humor, a combination of slapstick, wordplay and sex/toilet humor, is hit and miss, but hits more often than one would think. The spoofs range from clever to cringe-worthy, but the story and resultant gags follow the source material (mostly 2002's Spider-Man) very well, as opposed to the "Hey, look! It's -insert character- from -insert popular movie-!" style other recent spoofs have adopted. The only roadblocks are the childish fart jokes (one of which spans minutes) and dated pop culture references (Tom Cruise? Barry Bonds? Really?).

It's due to all of this that the movie, although flawed, can appeal to fans of any kind of spoof movie, be it twenty years old or two. It's also able to fulfill the expectations of the average moviegoer while giving some clever surprises to those who don't see them coming. Simply put, if you're a fan of any type of comedy, there's bound to be something in this joke-a-second spoof for you.