|
Mystery Men review
:. Director: Kinka Usher
:. Starring: Ben Stiller, Tom Waits
:. Running Time: 1:30
:. Year: 2000
:. Country: USA
|
The Mystery Men is the latest cinematic variation on the anti-hero theme, by grouping a pack of anti-heros together. Unfortunately, despite a promising premise and colorful casting, the film, just like the powers of its heros, rapidly drains.
The film presents a group of loser superheros: an inoffensive hulk (Ben Stiller), a fork throwing raja (Hank Azaria), a vengeful bowling queen (Janeane Garofalo), a shoveler king (William H. Macy) and fartman Pee Wee Herman, helped by a mad scientist (Tom Waits) and a masked Indian (Wes Studi), confronting evilissimo Geoffrey Rush. If the principal attraction of the film is the mix of funny or serious actors playing the opposite of their usual roles, the potential of the film is never realized, delivering only a flat hoax of controlled craziness. Even more deceitful is a big budget that gives birth to sets and special effects flirting with Batman, Dark Cities, Blade Runner and the universe of Tim Burton. The film lies far from the inspired craziness of Tim Burton, though, trudging more towards an Austin Powers with the addition of an adolescent farter.
In the middle of all this there are some good moments: from the audition scene (thanks to The Commitments and The Full Monty) with Ballerinaman, the two disco kings, to the fork thrower, the shovel handler, as well as the Shakespearian skull (Brannagh must be jealous) in the bowling ball, and some catchy oneliners.
You can't help but leave feeling disappointed that The Mystery Men under-utilized its casting and its premise only to leave room for explosive special effects trying to conceal the writing deficiency and absence of a script.
Fred Thom
 read our Latest Movie Reviews
more Reviews
|
|
