Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Robert Townsend | ... | Jefferson Reed / Meteor Man | |
Marla Gibbs | ... | Maxine 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 - Mobster | |
Sinbad | ... | Malik - Stacy's Boyfriend | |
Nancy Wilson | ... | Mrs. Laws - the Principal |
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 30 seconds. Now his friends and family want him to protect their community from the dreaded Golden Lords. Written by Renee Ann Byrd <byrdie@wyrdbyrd.org>
Following an encounter with a mysterious meteorite, a Washington D.C. school teacher (Robert Townsend) discovers that he has developed super powers and subsequently uses them to become a caped crusader against the forces of evil in his own inner-city community. Although the ambitious, imaginative script is loaded with misfired comedic gags, it does produce several genuinely amusing sequences--in particular, the climactic showdown between Meteor Man and his golden-haired drug lord nemesis. Biggest plus: the extremely talented (but frustratingly underused) supporting cast that reads like a Who's Who list of black television and movie greats. It includes: Bill Cosby ("The Cosby Show" and "Ghost Dad"), James Earl Jones ("The Great White Hope" and "Roots: The Next Generation"), Marla Gibbs ("The Jeffersons" and "227"), and Robert Guillaume ("Benson" and "Lean On Me").
Also, it's just plain refreshing to see a 1990's larger-than-life black superhero/role model in a family-oriented film.