Trailer:
“It’s just like any other part, you’ve just got to really get into it!”
In a world where men can’t fly but yet still choose to wear outward underwear and tights, comes the tale of a normal man turned Superhero. Hero at Large was by no means a financial success like the Superman films were, in fact it vanished almost completely off the radar.
The film tells the story of Steve Nickels (John Ritter), a down on his luck actor who can’t get a job doing anything but commercials for beer and dog food. His career takes a dive to an all time low when he joins a marketing campaign for the summer film Captain Avenger. He is forced to dress up in a silly costume and pretend to be the hero from the film for children at local malls and theater complexes.
But one night his role as Captain Avenger takes a turn when he ends up stopping a local corner store robbery. When the public begins worshipping him Steve thinks he has at last found his calling. Unfortunately a greedy politician learns of him and decides to use Steve’s exploits as a means to get himself re-elected and Steve reluctantly gets caught up in the scam.
This is where the film gets interesting. It is not about a wanna-be superhero up against a real live villain, it is a about the hero against himself, trying to do the right thing and not tarnish his own image in the public's eyes. The main theme of the film itself is what a hero stand for and the film confronts that idea perfectly. In this way it becomes the most realistic take on the “real life superhero” idea I have seen yet (The others being Kick Ass, Special, and Super all to be reviewed later).
John Ritter plays the failed actor turned superhero. He is most known for his comedic roles so he was a good choice for this dramady. He is the life and soul of the entire film, making the character of Steve Nickels seem both relatable and a nice guy you want to root for. His jokes are never clumsy in a hit and miss sort of way. They are not always funny but most contain a kind of charm to them that only increases his likability, even if they aren't working to create big laughs.
Of course this is a superhero film so you have to have a leading lady in there somewhere. This spot is filled by Annie Archer who plays Ritter’s neighbor J. Walsh gives a kind of dry performance that isn’t very interesting or compelling. It was never really made clear why this high-strung, antisocial woman appealed to Ritter’s character. Their relationship development is well done though as Steve is forced to take shelter in her apartment after he fails to pay his own rent and she learns his identity. How they grow together is well depicted even if her character sometimes makes me want to throw her off the Brooklyn Bridge (<- who is going to get that reference, I wonder). I do however like that they never turned her into the damsel in distress.
As said previously the film has no real villain in it. That is mostly to the movies benefit. I guess you could consider the mayor trying to get re-elected to be the villain, but in truth he is doing nothing sinister, just a corrupt man mapping out an absurd campaign plan.
The film is a great example of how low budget, story driven superhero films can many times outshine the larger budget ones (like Superman 2). It’s not perfect but the few effects look really good and the story really does feel realistic. Nothing happens that really couldn’t happen in real life. It’s improbable maybe, but not impossible. In the end the film is a charming and funny little film, helped along tremendously by Ritter’s performance. It’s an example of one of those movies that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten but was anyways.
FINAL RATING: 7/10 (70%)
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