I am an Arthurian buff and a film fan (aspiring to be a novelist and a screenwriter). EXCALIBUR is a great, great film that holds up very well after more than 20 years. It is an expert distillation of the essential Arthurian legend (this from someone who has read and re-read Malory's original work, Le Morte D'Arthur, on which the movie was based, as well as Tennyson, White, Steinbeck, and many of the other modern fictional treatments, as well as a lot of the secondary literature on the history and meaning of the Arthur myth). The film is wonderful on many, many levels, from Boorman's masterful direction and writing (along with Pallenberg, his screenwriter), to the cinematography, the armor and costumes, the sets and production design, and the acting (with a great cast too numerous to mention). The film has violence, sex, myth, drama, intrigue, heroics, pathos, and aspirations to art, all in the best senses of those terms. The film probably works best if you already have some sort of sense of the Arthur legends, but I would recommend it to anyone. Also, listen to Boorman's director's commentary on the DVD. Perhaps the best and most lucid DVD commentary that I have heard on video; interesting and sharp comments throughout the entire film, and well worth replaying if you aspire to filmmaking in any way, or just want to hear a smart filmmaker talk about his work. I have tried to write Arthurian stories and an Arthurian script, but all have so far paled in comparison to Boorman and Pallenberg's work. Long live Boorman and long live EXCALIBUR!
Reviews
2 Reviews
Mystery Men
(1999)
A Fun Cult Movie
6 July 2003
Warning: Spoilers
[Mild Spoilers]
I liked the spirit of this movie, and feel that it got something of a raw deal when it was released. It was not advertised or marketed well at all by Universal, and it probably should not have been released in the hyper-competitive summer, but rather perhaps in the winter or the fall, when it would have had less competition from better advertised summer "block-buster" type films. This is an underdog type of film. It is a superhero action-comedy with a very specific core target audience, and it got lost in the summer schedule, which is a shame, because it is a little cult gem, in my opinion.
That said, I really loved this film, and I feel that it at least deserves to develop a cult or fan following. I think that either you "get" this film or you don't. Those that do "get" the film are probably people who understand the tropes of superhero comic books, and who appreciate the comic take on superheroes that Mystery Men has (I think that many reviewers did not "get" this movie, and there was something of a band-wagon effect which branded this a bad picture. It is not a bad picture at all, but is simply a fun action-comedy). For someone who grew up on comics, it was fun to see a superhero action comedy like this. The movie created a cool and quirky fantasy world that felt like a real comic book, and the stellar cast and outrageous characters provided the laughs.
Regarding superhero comic books: most adolescents who read these comics enjoy them because the stories are power fantasies (amongst other things). These kids like to imagine themselves in the role of a powerful hero or a dark avenger (I know I did). The irony is that many of these kids who are the core audience for superhero comics are usually not very big winners in the real world, but are often outsiders and underdogs themselves. The heroes in Mystery Men are also underdogs and outsiders who dream of being real heroes and winners, despite their mundane and quirky natures. Just as comic book fans dream of being superheroes, so do the loser lead characters of Mystery Men aspire to be heroes also. I liked this parallel.
So, comic book fans should be able to identify with the spirit of these characters and this movie. The main characters in Mystery Men are basically third-string wannabe superheroes with comically mundane and quirky powers. Just as many comic book readers want to be superheroes in their own imaginations, so are the lead characters of this movie wannabe superheroes. The character's struggles and desires to be real heroes despite their ineptitude and bargain basement powers is comically heroic, and is the source of both the charm and the comedy of this movie. I liked these underdog characters, found them to be funny, and rooted for them to win in spite of themselves and their ineptitude.
Storywise, Champion City's venal first-string superhero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), is captured by a mad and dangerous villain, Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffery Rush). Three comically inept wannabe superheroes, Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), The Shoveller (William H. Macy), and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) take it upon themselves to try and free Captain Amazing and to fight Casanova Frankenstein and his criminal minions. Finding themselves outnumbered by Casanova's thugs, our three heroes recruit other third-stringers to help, and are joined by Invisible Lad (Kel Mitchell), The Spleen (Paul Reubens), The Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), and The Sphinx (Wes Studi). The wannabe heroes struggle with their own personal problems, self-doubts, quirky powers, and internal bickering, as well as with their villainous opponents. Will they be able to rise above their limitations and save Champion City? That is the basis of the story, but the real fun is the outlandish way the heroes go about trying to accomplish this in colorful and quirky Champion City.
The comedy is good, mainly on the strength of the comedic acting and improv talents of the likable leads. The direction, costumes, effects, and production design are both funny and evocative of real comic books (and of many previous comic book films, such as the Batman movies). I believed in the fun-house alternative reality of Champion City, and I enjoyed spending a few hours immersed in that fanciful world (just as I used to enjoy being immersed in the fanciful worlds of superhero comic books in my youth). It is a quirky, colorful, and fun world, full of quirky, colorful, and fun characters. The movie is an entertaining romp, and would be a great cult movie to see at a midnight show. Watch it and judge for yourself.
I liked the spirit of this movie, and feel that it got something of a raw deal when it was released. It was not advertised or marketed well at all by Universal, and it probably should not have been released in the hyper-competitive summer, but rather perhaps in the winter or the fall, when it would have had less competition from better advertised summer "block-buster" type films. This is an underdog type of film. It is a superhero action-comedy with a very specific core target audience, and it got lost in the summer schedule, which is a shame, because it is a little cult gem, in my opinion.
That said, I really loved this film, and I feel that it at least deserves to develop a cult or fan following. I think that either you "get" this film or you don't. Those that do "get" the film are probably people who understand the tropes of superhero comic books, and who appreciate the comic take on superheroes that Mystery Men has (I think that many reviewers did not "get" this movie, and there was something of a band-wagon effect which branded this a bad picture. It is not a bad picture at all, but is simply a fun action-comedy). For someone who grew up on comics, it was fun to see a superhero action comedy like this. The movie created a cool and quirky fantasy world that felt like a real comic book, and the stellar cast and outrageous characters provided the laughs.
Regarding superhero comic books: most adolescents who read these comics enjoy them because the stories are power fantasies (amongst other things). These kids like to imagine themselves in the role of a powerful hero or a dark avenger (I know I did). The irony is that many of these kids who are the core audience for superhero comics are usually not very big winners in the real world, but are often outsiders and underdogs themselves. The heroes in Mystery Men are also underdogs and outsiders who dream of being real heroes and winners, despite their mundane and quirky natures. Just as comic book fans dream of being superheroes, so do the loser lead characters of Mystery Men aspire to be heroes also. I liked this parallel.
So, comic book fans should be able to identify with the spirit of these characters and this movie. The main characters in Mystery Men are basically third-string wannabe superheroes with comically mundane and quirky powers. Just as many comic book readers want to be superheroes in their own imaginations, so are the lead characters of this movie wannabe superheroes. The character's struggles and desires to be real heroes despite their ineptitude and bargain basement powers is comically heroic, and is the source of both the charm and the comedy of this movie. I liked these underdog characters, found them to be funny, and rooted for them to win in spite of themselves and their ineptitude.
Storywise, Champion City's venal first-string superhero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), is captured by a mad and dangerous villain, Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffery Rush). Three comically inept wannabe superheroes, Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), The Shoveller (William H. Macy), and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) take it upon themselves to try and free Captain Amazing and to fight Casanova Frankenstein and his criminal minions. Finding themselves outnumbered by Casanova's thugs, our three heroes recruit other third-stringers to help, and are joined by Invisible Lad (Kel Mitchell), The Spleen (Paul Reubens), The Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), and The Sphinx (Wes Studi). The wannabe heroes struggle with their own personal problems, self-doubts, quirky powers, and internal bickering, as well as with their villainous opponents. Will they be able to rise above their limitations and save Champion City? That is the basis of the story, but the real fun is the outlandish way the heroes go about trying to accomplish this in colorful and quirky Champion City.
The comedy is good, mainly on the strength of the comedic acting and improv talents of the likable leads. The direction, costumes, effects, and production design are both funny and evocative of real comic books (and of many previous comic book films, such as the Batman movies). I believed in the fun-house alternative reality of Champion City, and I enjoyed spending a few hours immersed in that fanciful world (just as I used to enjoy being immersed in the fanciful worlds of superhero comic books in my youth). It is a quirky, colorful, and fun world, full of quirky, colorful, and fun characters. The movie is an entertaining romp, and would be a great cult movie to see at a midnight show. Watch it and judge for yourself.
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