Superhero Movie Review

The Zucker's created a genre when they brought us the incredible spoof "Airplane" in 1980. That comedy classic works on more levels than you can shake a stick at. Sadly a lot has changed since then and their latest spoof "Superhero Movie" is a pale one-dimensional fart joke fiasco. These days it seems that young audiences are easier to please and the Zuckers are clearly onto this.

The plot is based around the first "Spiderman" film with a hint of X-Men thrown in for good measure. Our would-be hero Rick Riker (Drake Bell) was orphaned as a child, accidentally killing his mother and father (Robert Hays aka Ted Striker from "Airplane") while trying to save them from being mugged. Rick now lives with his grandparents, good old Zucker film veteran Leslie Neilson and Marion Ross, the mother from Happy Days. Just like his Spidey counterpart, Riker is bitten by an insect on a school field trip and has a crush on the girl next door (Sara Paxton). Riker develops powers and becomes The Dragonfly. But every superhero must have a nemesis and this one comes in the form of the fiendish Hour Glass. A man who has been changed forever by an accident in a science lab - ho hum.

One road this film can be thanked for not treading down too heavily is the road of pop culture references, Meet the Spartans was so littered with Britney and Paris nods that it was more a sketch show than a film. Instead "Superhero Movie" chooses the classic domain of toilet humour. There is a moment where the humour lifts itself out of the gutter but only to laugh at disabled scientist Steven Hawking, which is lets face it, just as bad.

There are one or two funny slapstick moments, and one involving a poodle getting it's lead caught in rubbish crusher is particularly good.

All said "Superhero Movie" is the kind of film that knows it's audience well, but for this reviewer it came nowhere near the dizzying heights of the beloved "Airplane".