Citizens/potential buyers/renters beware! Do not be fooled by the slickly Photoshopped DVD cover of this nauseating film. Super Capers, brainchild of director/writer Ray Griggs, is an underfunded, overcooked, lame-brained super hero parody that doesn’t manage one genuine laugh. Much like the smug mug of Justin Whalin (he of Dungeons & Dragons film fame), the film is content to prance around mindlessly until you pray for a way out, a rushed ending, anything to put a stop to the unimaginative low-budget horror.
Possibly the only genuinely enjoyable section of the film is its animated intro. Studios take notice - Tom Richmond is a talented illustrator who should be doing better work than this (yes, I had to look him up). The score, by Nathan Lanier, is also quite good, and you’ll be tuning into it a lot when you are unable to stomach the action onscreen. Make no mistake about it; this film is a full-on parody in the style of the acclaimed Superhero Movie (if you get my drift).
Super Capers opens with the clueless (and powerless) Ed Gruberman (Justin Whalin) attempting to subdue a mugger preying on a helpless woman. In short time, the woman turns out to be a superhero, Ed hits the mugger with a rubber two-by-four and lands the man in the office of legal attorney Roger Cheatem (Tom Sizemore? What are you doing here?). On trial for assault, Ed is sentenced by the judge (Michael Rooker) to attend Super Capers, an academy for superheroes in training. Does this remind anyone else of Sky High or is it just me? Where Sky High had the budget to pull off some semi-convincing low-grade stunts, Super Capers drops from the skies like a dead fish, pausing to flop around from time to time.
I wish I could encapsulate the degree of humor on display, but first I must lament the cast Mr. Griggs managed to attain – Tom Sizemore, Michael Rooker, Doug Jones, and even Adam West either play significant roles or make a brief appearance. Now onto the humor – Adam West drives an air-conditioned taxi that looks suspiciously like the old Batmobile and tells Ed he was once known by the moniker of Manbat. Hardy-har-har.
Perhaps I am being too critical with a film that seems to be aimed at children; Griggs says so himself in a commentary that’s mostly him explaining away the budget limitations and marveling at what they accomplished with the money they had. Super Capers comes off as just dull and uninspired, too dimwitted for any crowd but younger kids but all the while filled with completely vapid references to Star Wars, Batman and Superman - essentially a melting pot of various pop-culture touchstones. Griggs brings no bravado whatsoever in tackling these jokes, settling instead for a literal exchange lifted from Return of the Jedi, and then has the characters comment that parts of it were actually from Empire Strikes Back.
If you are wondering whether Super Capers at least delivers action-wise, prepare to be disappointed. Griggs has mastered the infuriating practice of setting up an action scene only to resolve it in the most inane way possible. One notable scene concerns a robbery on a bridge, where the villain and his minotaur muscle (yep) face off against our halfway-there heroes. No punches are thrown, no superpowers used, instead, Ed prays to God, asking for help and is then crowned with the power of God on his side. Typing that just made me cringe a bit. There is a fight scene near the end of the film and if you look carefully enough, you can see two stuntmen flip themselves over on their own. Truly, Super Capers may be oriented toward children but I do not want to insult the age group by confirming it. This is a bad, bad movie; a film so lacking that no lowering of expectation can suffice. Avoid it if you can – heed my warning!
DVD Bonus Features
Unexpectedly, the DVD has a fair share of extras including: a making-of featurette, where the cast and crew throw compliments to the film; a selection of deleted scenes you can check if you want to see what was deemed unnecessary to appear in this film; an audio commentary with director Ray Griggs and Justin Whalin (which is spent modestly congratulating what they’ve accomplished); the tv spots and trailer for Super Capers; and finally, a series of storyboards that reveal actual big-time action scenes that were seemingly never shot.
"Super Capers" is on sale July 21, 2009 and is rated PG. Action, Adventure, Children & Family, Comedy, Comic Book. Directed by Ray Griggs. Written by Ray Griggs . Starring Adam West, Doug Jones, Justin Whalin, Ryan McPartlin, Tom Sizemore, Michael Rooker.
