MYSTERY MEN
US, 1999, 116 minutes, Colour.
Hank Azaria, Clare Forlani, Janeane Garofolo, Greg Kinnear, Kel Mitchell, William H. Macy, Lina Olin, Paul Reubens, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Stiller, Wes Studi, Tom Waites, Ricky Jay, Eddie Izzard, Louise Lasser.
Directed by Kinka Asher.
Mystery Men anticipated X-Men? at the end of 1999. With so many comic strips being made into spectacular movies, from the Superman and Batman series to Spiderman, this film wants to parody the whole genre. It was already parodied in the comic strips on which it was based. However, this is quite a lavish treatment, a futuristic Champion City where, over the space of 24hours, an extreme villain called Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) will destroy the city. Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) has been able to save the city for many decades. There is a special troupe of would-be heroes, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy and Ben Stiller, who think that they have special powers. What they have to realise is that they have to draw on their own inner strengths to combat evil. However, they are especially helped by Tom Waites as a weapons dealer and an inventor.
Costumes, manners of speaking, exaggerated behaviour, everything stylised means that this is very much a tongue-in-cheek comedy adventure.
1. Entertaining spoof? Intelligent, silly? Expectations of characters, comic styles?
2. The title and its ironies, especially as related to Eddie, Geoff and Roy? Champion City? Social troubles, the dominance of evil, combating evil? The Mystery Men with their gifts - or absence? A masquerade? Discovering their gifts?
3. The sets, the décor, the re-creation of the city, over the 24 hours, especially at night? Action sequences, fights, explosions? Chases? Special effects and score?
4. The introduction to the Blue Raja, the Shovel Man, Furious: Geoff, Eddie and Roy? Their affectations, inabilities to fight, trying to save the oldies?
5. Captain Amazing, his reputation and success, self-promotion, rounding up the criminals? Commercials, his disappointment about no conflicts and his not being in the limelight? His alter-ego, going to the parole board? The letter from Captain Amazing, the release of Casanova Frankenstein? His arrogance as well as being dumb? Captured? Knocked out? Found by the Mystery Men?
6. Eddie and his family, mixed race, the children admiring their father, the wife exasperated? Geoff and his dominant mother? Roy, his offhand manner to Monica in the restaurant, her ignoring of him, courting her, her wanting to know his name, his making up names, her accepting him when he was real?
7. The campaign to get more Mystery Men, the collage of auditions and their hopelessness? Spleen and his crass manner, giving advice, becoming part of the group? His breaking wind? The Invisible Man, only invisible when people were not looking at him? His becoming part of the group? All the slapstick antics in the auditions?
8. Bola, her character, her story, her father, the Skull, the demonstration?
9. Getting in touch with Sphinx, his serious attitude, training them, his aphorisms and Roy getting annoyed with him and leaving?
10. Hella, with the old ladies, his weapons-dealing, setting them up, training them, his tank? Watching them on television?
11. Casanova Frankenstein and his personal psychiatrist, his being released, his lair, the two Tonys, the chase through the city, blowing up the prison? His plans, the echoes of disco, Captain Amazing and his capturing him, the build-up to the finale, the girls, the fight, his defeat?
12. The champions and their taking on their personalities, the tank breaking down, Monica joining them? Their having to rely on their own wits - and discovering their gifts? The magnetic attraction to the guns? Spleen and his talent? The Invisible Man actually becoming invisible? The grand heroics, the television interview, Roy and his modesty, Monica and her support of him? The final message that people should do what they can to combat evil?
