Gavin Lucas is a comic book geek. He is a lawyer for a company that develops new technology. He's also gay. It's never stated, but really, no doubts here. Gavin is running some papers to one of their scientists, Professor Ronald Richards (Robert Hurt) when a jealous rival scientist, Hector Harris (John Venturini) tries to steal some of Professor Richards research. Gavin intervenes, and there is an accident. A very special accident.
Unaware of how things are different now, Gavin goes with his friends to a costume party where everyone is dressed up as Superheroes. After the party, and a hilarious cameo of Bobby Trendy as himself (If you don't know who he is, tell him. I'm sure he'll be crushed.) Gavin jumps in to save the hot guy from the park from a hate crime. Being pounded on, he releases his powers for the first time.
Blessed with superpowers, an energy surge that he can release to blast things away, Gavin decides to become Surge. Enlisting Professor Richards help he gets a costume with lots of gadgets. However Surge is aware he has a weakness. Whenever he hears dance music, his powers fizzle! (Gay!) Unfortunately, Hector Harris is also getting a costume, and planning his career as a Super Villain, The Metal Master! (Can you say Magneto Rip off with costume by Wilson's Leather?) The movie claims to be A New High in Low Budget Camp. And that claim is true! This movie is one long running joke about the classics and clichés of the Superhero genre. Surge is a fanatic about his cape, even though everyone and everything conspires to convince him it is a bad idea. Everyone mentions no one is doing capes. It gets caught in a phone booth door after his first costume change. (Ever notice phone booths these days are glass?) A villain tries to pin him to the ground with it. Etc, etc, etc. They talk about superheroes in other cities; they mean Batman and Robin, but call them the Wombat and Pigeon. There is the other hero who crawls on walls and wraps people up in webs starts with an 'S' The Silkworm! (He was bitten by a radioactive Silkworm.) The only hero they mention by name is Superman. And no one would dare sue the one who said it the unforgettable Noel Neill, the original Lois Lane from The Adventures of Superman TV show! That's the other recurring hammer; Cameos! Noel Neill, Marv Wolfman, Comic book writer and co-creator of The Teen Titans and Blade, Len Wein, also a comics writer, creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine, Bobby Trendy, Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster), Rose Marie, (Dick Van Dyke Show), Erin Murphy (Tabitha Stevens of Bewitched), Allison Arngrim, (Nellie Olsen from The Little House on the Prairie.), Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay from Bewitched), Marty Croft of H.R. Puffnstuff and Land of the Lost fame, Bob May, the voice of the Robot in Lost in Space, Trev Brody, the out actor who was gay bashed in 2002. Now he does a lot of voice over work, due to vision loss, including the Voice of Captain America for the video game Avengers. Liz Sheridan (Seinfeld's "mom") finally, two real treats, Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk. (He is still incredible at age 52) and the incomparable Nichelle Nichols. That's right; Lt. Uhura is the Omen, Big Cities Hero of days gone by.
The last running joke are gay jokes; when Gavin greats his friends; "Hey, is that a banana in your pocket?" (Friend pulls out a banana) "It's a great source of potassium but I am happy to see you." And at the party, two fellows come to check out Surge's .cape. #1"That's a nice cape." #2 "It's so big can we touch it?" Gavin, "Sure." (Feeling the fabric) #1 "It's so thick!" (Gay, gay, GAAAY!) This movie is just so campy. Not since John Waters came off his last bender has any movie worked this hard to camp it up this much. It like the old Batman TV show on steroids and poppers! And for being a no budget wonder, it has surprisingly high production values. The special effects are at least as good as those you see on the made for Sci Fi movies.
The acting could be compared to the very best provided by the porn industry. But it's okay. Everyone is having such a good time; it comes across as hilariously cheesy, instead of just Cheesy.
I am deeply torn on rating this movie. It's bad. I mean, really bad. But I loved it so much! Deep love with inappropriate .never mind. I liked the movie. It is FUN. It has a message of love and acceptance, and about being a hero in your everyday life. It's so warm and uplifting. And bad. I love it. I guess I will have to forgive it its flaws, but grade it in the middle.
One star for production, Five Stars for fun engendered. Three on average. Four if you are a comic geek or gay. Five for Gay Comic Geeks like me.
Unaware of how things are different now, Gavin goes with his friends to a costume party where everyone is dressed up as Superheroes. After the party, and a hilarious cameo of Bobby Trendy as himself (If you don't know who he is, tell him. I'm sure he'll be crushed.) Gavin jumps in to save the hot guy from the park from a hate crime. Being pounded on, he releases his powers for the first time.
Blessed with superpowers, an energy surge that he can release to blast things away, Gavin decides to become Surge. Enlisting Professor Richards help he gets a costume with lots of gadgets. However Surge is aware he has a weakness. Whenever he hears dance music, his powers fizzle! (Gay!) Unfortunately, Hector Harris is also getting a costume, and planning his career as a Super Villain, The Metal Master! (Can you say Magneto Rip off with costume by Wilson's Leather?) The movie claims to be A New High in Low Budget Camp. And that claim is true! This movie is one long running joke about the classics and clichés of the Superhero genre. Surge is a fanatic about his cape, even though everyone and everything conspires to convince him it is a bad idea. Everyone mentions no one is doing capes. It gets caught in a phone booth door after his first costume change. (Ever notice phone booths these days are glass?) A villain tries to pin him to the ground with it. Etc, etc, etc. They talk about superheroes in other cities; they mean Batman and Robin, but call them the Wombat and Pigeon. There is the other hero who crawls on walls and wraps people up in webs starts with an 'S' The Silkworm! (He was bitten by a radioactive Silkworm.) The only hero they mention by name is Superman. And no one would dare sue the one who said it the unforgettable Noel Neill, the original Lois Lane from The Adventures of Superman TV show! That's the other recurring hammer; Cameos! Noel Neill, Marv Wolfman, Comic book writer and co-creator of The Teen Titans and Blade, Len Wein, also a comics writer, creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine, Bobby Trendy, Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster), Rose Marie, (Dick Van Dyke Show), Erin Murphy (Tabitha Stevens of Bewitched), Allison Arngrim, (Nellie Olsen from The Little House on the Prairie.), Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay from Bewitched), Marty Croft of H.R. Puffnstuff and Land of the Lost fame, Bob May, the voice of the Robot in Lost in Space, Trev Brody, the out actor who was gay bashed in 2002. Now he does a lot of voice over work, due to vision loss, including the Voice of Captain America for the video game Avengers. Liz Sheridan (Seinfeld's "mom") finally, two real treats, Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk. (He is still incredible at age 52) and the incomparable Nichelle Nichols. That's right; Lt. Uhura is the Omen, Big Cities Hero of days gone by.
The last running joke are gay jokes; when Gavin greats his friends; "Hey, is that a banana in your pocket?" (Friend pulls out a banana) "It's a great source of potassium but I am happy to see you." And at the party, two fellows come to check out Surge's .cape. #1"That's a nice cape." #2 "It's so big can we touch it?" Gavin, "Sure." (Feeling the fabric) #1 "It's so thick!" (Gay, gay, GAAAY!) This movie is just so campy. Not since John Waters came off his last bender has any movie worked this hard to camp it up this much. It like the old Batman TV show on steroids and poppers! And for being a no budget wonder, it has surprisingly high production values. The special effects are at least as good as those you see on the made for Sci Fi movies.
The acting could be compared to the very best provided by the porn industry. But it's okay. Everyone is having such a good time; it comes across as hilariously cheesy, instead of just Cheesy.
I am deeply torn on rating this movie. It's bad. I mean, really bad. But I loved it so much! Deep love with inappropriate .never mind. I liked the movie. It is FUN. It has a message of love and acceptance, and about being a hero in your everyday life. It's so warm and uplifting. And bad. I love it. I guess I will have to forgive it its flaws, but grade it in the middle.
One star for production, Five Stars for fun engendered. Three on average. Four if you are a comic geek or gay. Five for Gay Comic Geeks like me.