Ya know... Sometimes I'm just amazed. How does a gigantic red demon wearing nothing more than an overcoat get into a test screening? I mean.... aren't they better than that? Well Hellboy here took a long look at MYSTERY MEN and has some nitpicks here and there but seemed to really enjoy it. SOunds like a really fun movie, but personally I'm looking forward to the same producers turning their super-producing powers towards... HELLBOY, the movie, not the spy. Here's the big red one to let us in on it all.... (Warning Spoilers about cameos follow)
Saw a preview of Mystery Men yesterday at Universal City. The folks in charge of the viewing seemed very interested in the demographic seeing the movie, but for some reason the question and answer period that usually follow such viewings was non-existent. I wish that wasn't the case.
For the most part, Mystery Men was pretty damn funny. It was a work print so the editing left much to be desired and some of the effects were low-resolution and the soundtrack was temp.
Greg Kinnear shines as Captain Amazing and Ben Stiller is, as usual, hyperactively himself and loving it as Mr. Furious. Actually, the entire cast was pretty good. The kid who played The Invisible Boy didn't seem comfortable with his role 'til the end. And Janeane Garofalo was just hilarious as The Bowler. Geoffrey Rush was good and creepy as Cassanova Frankenstein and his Disco Boys henchmen were crowd pleasers. And Paul Reubens is very funny as the Spleen, although fart humor is delicate humor.
The superhero cliche jokes fly fast and furious and done well to initiate non-comic book fans into this world. Particularly funny was the Clark Kent/Superman parallels applied to Captain Amazing.
And it was a nice surprise to see Tom Waits as a genius non-lethal weapons designer, creator of such weapons as Canned Tornado and the Blame Thrower.
And just in case the suits are reading this....TIGHTEN UP THAT EDITING. I know they know it needs work. The Canned Tornado was cool, but they test it, order a dozen, and then never use it again. Weird.
Some cameos to look out for: Michael Bay as one of the super-villains The Frat Boys. And rap group Goodie Mob as the Not-So-Goodie Mob. Dana Gould makes about a 6 frame cameo, completely wasted. He should have been in the cast.
Not TOO many spoilers....there are still a ton of surprises. I think once they tighten up the sucker, it could be great.
HELLBOY
