journal features

movie review - Mystery Men

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Toronto, 1999.08.22

Silly but amusing, this is a sometimes awkward flick that dives into the world of comic book heroes without shame. It's hit-and-miss throughout, with some dreadfully dull scenes, but I liked it well enough. The reaction of the gang I saw it with was quite varied, ranging from those who hated it (people with childhoods never be-smudged by comic books, eg. the English contingent) to the rest of us, who enjoyed this tale of less than 'super' heroes.

Mystery Men is about a trio of small-time Superheroes in a massive, alternate reality city, where all of the signs are in English, Russian, and some Asian languages. Mostly set at night, it's a Blade Runnery, wet, dark, grungy world, with conflicted city officials (two of whom confusingly where Soviet insignia in one scene) and heroes (with Pepsi logos and a PR agent), creepy retro bad guys, and a blasted landscape.

Garofalo is especially good as always, and the same goes for Macy. Stiller is getting a little boring in his constantly recast Flirting With Disaster role, but Azaria adds much-needed humour as the Blue Rajah to a movie that repeatedly slides into dull, puerile drudgery.

Recommended.

rand()m quote

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

—Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.