How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:7
Rotten:41
Average Rating:3.7/10
Consensus: Superhero Movie is not the worst of the spoof genre, but relies on tired gags and lame pop culture references all the same.
Theatrical Release:06-06-2008
Synopsis: In this spoof of Hollywood blockbusters, director and screenwriter Craig Mazin (THE SPECIALS) tackles the age-old story of a regular guy who suddenly finds that he possesses super powers. Ricky... [More]
Starring: Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, Kevin Hart
Director: Craig Mazin
It looks for all the world as if writer/director Craig Mazin took the screenplay for Spider-Man, propped it up next to his MacBook, and just went through it, inserting fart gags, pratfalls and the lamest of jokes.
The very act of writing critically about Superhero inspires something of an existential crisis -- no one likely to turn out for it is reading this review, and anybody reading this review is probably not inclined to see it under any circumstances.
Top CriticPuerile and idiotic it may be, but Superhero Movie is nonetheless smarter than most of its lowbrow brethren in the Hollywood sub-sub-category known as the spoof movie.
Two laughs does not a decent comedy make.
Writer-director and Scary Movie vet Craig Mazin's script is so devoid of anything even remotely funny that the movie is more a cheap rip-off of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man franchise than a spoof.
To call Superhero Movie a satire, or even a parody, of the genre specified in its title would be misleading, since those terms imply at least an attempt at wit. But no real mockery is intended by this mindless grab bag of slightly used gags.
Top CriticBy-the-numbers screen parody fails to resurrect an increasingly tired genre.
Top CriticThe gags are consistently weak.
Superhero Movie would make a decent long-form short on the "Funny or Die" website, but at 85 minutes -- 15 of which are outtake-heavy end credits -- its powers of amiability wear off fast.
70 minutes of good if unmemorable fun sure beats 80 or 90 minutes of excruciating parodies for dummies, a la Date Movie and Epic Movie.
Top CriticPredictable, flat, full of name-dropping, tragically unhip, and likely to make a decent amount of cash.
There's honestly not a single laugh in the film, unless the mere mention or sight of shit, piss and puke is hilarious to you.
All the most hilarious scenes from 'Superhero Movie' show up in the film's trailer, but there's still a lot to laugh about in this silly parody.
It's rather benign, actually -- never very funny, and never amusing for more than a few moments at a time, but not grating or clownish, either.
It's cinematic junk food; I sat, I laughed, I left, I forgot all about it. (But at least I laughed.)
A joke that's underdeveloped and overextended...not one of the worst examples of this tired genre, but far from the best.
About five good laughs stretched over a 70-minute running time (not counting the ludicrously padded 15-minute end credits).
The good news about "Superhero Movie" is that it is better than either of the "Fantastic Four" movies. The bad news is that it isn't that much better.
What's supposed to be a spoof of all the comic-book movies clogging theaters turns out to be an unfunny retread of the first Spider-Man.
The film's weakest moments are also its timeliest.
July 31, 2008:
EW Lists 14 Franchises That Should Stop Already 
Hollywood loves a sequel, but eventually, the time comes for every franchise to end -- and Entertainment Weekly has helpfully compiled a list of fourteen series that don't need... More...
July 07, 2008:
RT on DVD: Dark Knight, Mummy 3 Sneak Peeks
This week, we dispense with the news and cut to the chase to bring you two huge new gift sets timed perfectly for this summer's Bat-mania. What will earn you more geek cred:... More...
June 12, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: Trio Fail to Break Top Two
The unlikely triumvirate of Prom Night, Gone Baby Gone and Superhero Movie all failed to make much of an impression in a market place still dominated by sex, cities, whips and... More...
April 03, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Leatherheads Has its Ups and Downs; Nim's Island is Stranded; Guess The Ruins' Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got pigskin pratfalls (Leatherheads, starring George Clooney and Renée Zellweger), isle imagination (Nim's Island, starring Jodie Foster and... More...
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN.com |
GameSpy |
Comrade |
Arena |
FilePlanet |
GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox |
Planets |
Vaults |
VE3D |
CheatsCodesGuides |
GameStats |
GamerMetrics
AskMen.com |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Direct2Drive |
Green Pixels
IGN RSS Feeds
Comment
