Mystery Men Review Starring:Ben Stiller, William H. Macy
Usually when a blockbuster comes out, it's loaded with effects, stars, bad scripts, and plenty of action. Mystery Men may contain an all-star cast, and efects, but the clever script and characters are what really works, which is rare to see this year.
The film is based upon the comic book series "The Flaming Carrot" by Bob Burden, in which 3 wanna be super heroes try and fight crime, only to be out done by the real hero of Champion City, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear). Things go a little haywire, when the sinister Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is released into the city, where he captures Captain Amazing, and plans to wreak havoc upon Champion City. Well, the trio decide to take matters in their own hands, by saving the city, but first they need some assitance. This is where the film takes a turn for the better.
In the beggining, there were only 3 wanna be heroes. "Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), "Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller) and "The Shoveller (William H. Macy). Sure they were enterataining, but their acts grew old fast. that is until they aquire "Invisible Boy" (Kel Mitchell), and "The Bowler" (Janeane Garafalo) and "Mr. Splein" (Paul Reubens), 2 of which rescue the film from becoming a disastorous mess. Thankfully, the original 3 heroes become amusing, with some support of Reuben and Garfalo on screen.
The whole premise is rather ridiculous, but packs a few punches to keep interest. For one, the film is considerably clever. It literally pokes fun at super hero films, like Batman And Robin, Superman etc. In fact, many scenes are similar to Batman And robin, including the opening sequence, only altered in a humorous and superior way. A part of the cleverness comes from the cast. Sometimes a film with such talent is overblown, but the acting is what keeps it alive here.
While Azaria and Macy were enteratining, 2 characters really stood out. One was Paul Reuben. No matter how disgusting or revolting "Mr. Splein" may be, you still can't help but laugh. It' so incredibly moronic, it's just a riot watching Reuben relieve himself of bodily functions. Janeane Garafalo also was an interesting character. She seemed to be the most outgoing and convincing character on screem, due to her enthusiasm, that kept the film flowing. Men is worth seeing alone, for those 2 troubled heroes.
On the downside, a few of the heroes and especially the villain never really lift off. Kel Mitchell and Geoffrey Rush, were both utterly useless. Their parts were so limited, they'd be lucky at all to be on screen for more than 20 minutes. Ben Stiller too was wasted, mostly because of his unlikeable power and dialogue. None of these characters get a rise out of anybody, but happily they are lost in the charming flow of the film.
As far as the budget goes, it was wisely spent on the cast, not the effects. While the set designs and action all look nice, I'm glad there was a seperate aspect, that the film focused on, and for that I applaud.
Slow at times, and rather pointless, Mystery Men still delivers. It forgets about money making, because it's not likely to make a bundle like it's proceeders, and that's what works. Stupid? Maybe, but for once I'm not disappointed. No one expected an intelligent film, but you get a film thats wit captures your attention and makes you forget this miserable year.
3 stars out of 4
Nick Lyons
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