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Superheroes: MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Geno McGahee

I was able to get a sneak peek at a documentary by Michael Barnett, a movie about real life superheroes that protect the city, or at least think that they do. The film concerns several groups from around the country that fight crime, help homeless people, or just like pretending they are a superhero.

Mr. Xtreme walks the streets, alone at first, in hopes that he can make his mark. He is a fan of the Power Rangers and dresses up in a strange costume, which includes goggles with reptilian eyes. He eventually hooks up with a obese buddy in a red mask to collectively fight crime, with mixed results.

Some of the groups were very good, and Zimmer, an openly gay superhero that put himself on the line as bait to capture muggers, was part of one that had their heart in the right place. At one point, they stop a man from driving after he drunkenly hit a parked car and was swerving all over the place. The group is full of people that take it very seriously and hope to make a positive change in this world.

The other end of the spectrum is Master Legend, an old drunk, that puts on superhero garb to impress people. He does absolutely nothing good, and tries to use this status as a way to get women and be popular. He concocted stories of vanquishing bullies and rising up from the hate of the KKK to become this great guy, but it’s all nonsense. He was a lifetime loser with a drinking problem and the movie did a good job in showing that.

The most impressive and ballsy superhero is Dark Guardian, a mixed martial artist that confronts drug dealers and other wrong-doers face to face and alone. One of the drug dealers he confronted was enormous.

Life wasn’t much of a crime fighter, but he was so kind to the homeless that you couldn’t help but to like him, and there were many others that saw this superhero life as a way to help the impoverished, not so much about fighting crime. They were righting society’s wrongs and if they want to play dress up to feed people and take care of those that need it, it’s a good thing.

SUPERHEROES is a great documentary, filmed and put together well, and showing the different motives behind this lifestyle. It will premiere on HBO on August 8th.

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