THE hit-or-miss world of the spoof movie has proved to be dangerous water to tread.
Last year's Epic Movie highlights the turgid, carbon-copy nonsense we've seen time and time again and, to be honest, I wasn't holding my breath with Superhero Movie, as it was written and directed by Craig Mazin, who has worked on some god-awful efforts, such as Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4.
It's important to take the spoof movie genre for what it is, a bit of fun, and Superhero Movie is just that. But, after being bombarded with enough fart jokes to keep every 15-year-old boy in stitches for the film's duration, it does begin to grate.
Granted, there are some great laugh-out-loud moments. But, for every witty offering, there is a barrage of cringe-worthy segments that fall completely flat.
Drake Bell, who plays Rick Riker, has been a kids' favourite on Nickelodeon for years with shows like The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh. Normally playing the popular, cool kid, Drake adapts to the role of Rick Riker well, being a timid accident-prone nerd, who basically is Spiderman's Peter Parker. His love interest, Jill Johnson, played by Sara Paxton, doesn't bring any substance to her role, apart from aiding the aesthetics.
You can't help but feel a bit cheated by Mazin, as it appears he has picked up the Spiderman script and inserted a multitude of pop culture references and fart gags galore, without adapting the narrative to any varying degree.
The veteran of the spoof movie, Leslie Nielsen, adds nothing to the on-screen chemistry. The ageing, charisma-free star purely makes up the numbers without contributing anything meaningful. You get the feeling he is just going through the motions as he has resigned himself to being part of the spoof movie scene until the final nail is put in the dying genre's coffin.
Superhero Movie isn't going to be the biggest draw of the summer, but in terms of a spoof movie, there have been a lot worse over the years. However, unless you're a teenage boy, this film probably won't register on your radar.
5/10
