Alright, you've already read Moriarty's look at MYSTERY MEN, and you want to see what Segue Zagnut felt about the film eh? Well gosh, sure go ahead. Remember though that this is an advance showing and tweakings will inevitably occur between now and the final release. And now.... Here'sssss Segue!
Head Geek
My name is Segue Zagnut. Tonight, I am not shy. Tonight, I saw Mystery Men. Tonight, I have a super powers to predict the future. If this film is not one of the biggest films of the summer then I'm not.. ah..not.. ah.. then I'm not really blessed with super powers. The movie was not perfect, but wow was it great. Very smart. Very sure.
Mystery Men takes place in the fictional Champion City, where real life super hero Captain Amazing has pretty much rid the city of crime. Caped crusader frenzy for Captain Amazing means product sponsorships and wannabe costumed crime fighters. Although it is never really clear if Amazing actually has super powers it IS clear the others don't. Of course that doesn't stop them from fighting crime or at least trying. When Amazing is captured, by recently released from prison arch nemesis Casanova Frankenstein, ours heroes decide it's up to them to save him... or at least the city... or at least try. This is where the movie starts.
William Macy is The Shoveler he brings reality home. His character is made the most real, with a wife who barely tolerates his nightly outings and kids who look up to him. Macy is a wonderful actor that never gets enough credit for what he brings to the screen. He is the back bone of this movie. Ben Stiller is Mr. Furious and the movie is mostly seen through his eyes. The man that proved stalking can be funny in Something about Mary, proves here that anger is cool. You get a chance to feel for him. His real life is what I always figured a real super hero's life would be like... lonely, frustrated and just wants to be loved and excepted. Paul Reubens is The Spleen and if any one actor stole the show, it was Reubens. Perfect and ridiculous, he filled in some great moments. Jeneane Garafalo is The Bowler and for the first time in history the female super hero doesn't wear a G-string. Not that I would have minded, but simple issues like that are part of what makes this smart. There is no reference or sub plot about her being female, it is just accepted as obvious and irrelevant. She also gets one of the best lines in the film during the climax and I'll bet she add lib it. Hank Azaria is The Blue Rajah and this is the role that could have broken the film. If he had played this too over the top, it would have been silly. He's the closest character to a cartoon and it works because of him. Kel Mitchell and Wes Studi both are solid and mostly well used. Greg Kinnear is Captain Amazing and his part is ultimately pretty small. What perfect casting to have him be the good looking self congratulatory Pepsi sponsored superman. Kinnear is right on target. In fact this is some of the most inspired casting ever. What a perfect ensemble to play these characters. No one tried to steal the show and yet almost everyone did. I can't pick a favorite. Although I think many adults will want to be Mr. Furious next Halloween... really.
Everyone is good, but what has to make a movie like this is the writing. I sadly don't know who wrote it, but they got it. Unlike any of the Batman movies, this is about the good guys. This movie is about the Mystery Men not the Joker or the Riddler. That's fine for a sequel but we have to know the main characters first. We know these people. We like them and even though we laugh at them, we understand them. That is not to say we shouldn't know the bad guy also. I would have liked to have understood Frankenstein a little more. We don't even know why that's his name. In fact, the bad guys are the week point in this film. Most of the motivation is obvious, but some understanding of why, would have added depth. Half way through the film, something goes wrong for Frankenstein and I for one was disappointed that he didn't seem to really care. This would have been a perfect moment to get to know him and they dropped the ball.
The climax is a little too much of a summer movie big comic book action type solution. It here that the originality becomes a little derivative. But frankly, I didn't care that much and the very end with the news crews is brilliant. Surprisingly, the end was actually kind of touching. This film every bit deserves to be as big a hit as Men in Black and it hits the same audience. I love it. My parents will like it. And kids will worship it. I just hope that McFarlane gets the action figure contract, because I will buy everyone.
Now I've said too much. Consider This..
