one-nine-eighty
This film could have been so much more and showed some promise but ultimately didn't deliver when it counted.I liked the dirty gritty feel the film tried to deliver but it wasn't consistent flicking between dark and gritty to neon and colourful.The thing that let the film down for me, other than the cheesy 90's flashbacks, was the appalling acting. It was the acting and choise of cast that really told me that this was a budget/student film. Nobody was believable or convincing in the roles they played. I'd have to question why this was committed to DVD format rather than just being left online for people to watch for a bet or dare. I only awarded this film 3/10 because it was marginally better than the other film I watched earlier which only got 2 stars.
alexwojtak
This movie is absolutely abysmal. OK, I get that it's made with a limited time, on a limited budget, but at a certain point, you need to consider if you can still make the movie you're trying to make. I understand that the costumier had to leave early, so maybe consider whether you can still make a movie with costumed superheroes who have their powers taken away. Because if you take their powers away, and *spoiler* don't have them get them back in the final minute (Hey, that would have made a more interesting ending, huh?) then what you have is just people in costumes. If those costumes look like someone put underwear on their head, maybe consider making a different film. Amateur costumes can look good, but if you're lacking money, you need to put in time and skill to make up for it. You need to cover over the bad parts and accentuate the good. If, for example, the scene has someone bleeding to death from a stab wound, and someone is asked to go get a bandage, and that actor decides to saunter off with less urgency than I would go to make a cup of tea, then maybe as a director, it's time to offer a bit of direction. Like for example, "You're supposed to be the guy who's superpower was, up until now, super speed. RUN!" If I had super speed and lost it, I'd find it agonising that it took so long to get anywhere. In a race against time I wouldn't take such an agonisingly long time to do every single thing. Like the first round, where you have a 95 second fuse. From the moment they're told it's lit, they literally stand there for 52 seconds! I thought you were in a hurry to make this film? Maybe make a dash for the fuse, and the time you just saved filming that could have been more usefully spent? Like for example the guy you're fighting, Sledgesaw, could had had, for example, a saw of some kind? So his name makes sense? Rather than being dressed as a circus strongman from the fifties? Also, I presume you didn't show anyone's superpower due to budget, but surely you could have shown superspeed? Perhaps mix the powers up and have Shadow's being superspeed? Have the injection wear off at the last minute, film her carrying Charge away, speed up the film, and you've got a much improved ending. But that's the real issue. If you have to cut stuff while you're filming, you've not looked at how what you have left hangs together. If you've worked out a budget to start, and cut the parts you can't do, you can make what you have work better. You could barely forgive that rickshaw doesn't have a costume. James Remar can more or less carry those bits. Even Shadow doesn't have a costume so much as a hairstyle. In short, the film lacks polish. It lacks money. But it doesn't make up for those things with time, skill or ingenuity. It didn't have time to do things better with what it had, and due to the last minute hacked up script, it then lost any benefit it might have had from plot, writing or directing. But... surely they knew what the budget was? They had $20,000, so why not cut those extra scenes from the start and get the film to work with the funding they had?
Nicholas Lee Morine
This movie was always going to be polarizing -- it is not a movie made for the masses or really the general viewing public writ large. It is obviously a love letter to the darker and more dystopian themes of exploitation films, 80s action films, and cult horror. There is also plenty of self awareness present here, which is subtle and well played.All Superheroes Must Die is a fantastic little film that, in my opinion, is capably acted. Rickshaw is hilarious and competent. Charge is vulnerable yet determined. Shadow is particularly well acted.The camera shots are inventive, the film pacing is quick and fairly exciting. Not much wasted time here -- much like another personal favourite, Showdown in Little Tokyo (though other than the running time, little else is similar).This is also a deeply thematic film. Issues surrounding friendship and particularly "what it means to be heroic" are on display. Nonetheless, it's not very heavy handed, and most people will be more interested to see the creativity on display.Not for conservatives or the rigid.
KineticSeoul
This is one of those movies that needed a bigger budget. Although that wouldn't have helped much either. The story is bland and there is almost no creative ideas in this movie. The fact that the characters in this movie is suppose to be superheroes is almost irrelevant to the plot. The movie "Alter Egos" executed the superheroes genre well. "Alter Egos" didn't rely on gimmicks but a clever and somewhat original script. And even if it's a superhero movie that didn't show much superpowers the story and direction of it all carried the movie. And the interactions amongst the characters. This one on the other hand just relies on gimmicks and fails on every level. The story doesn't make much sense and a lot of things are unexplained and very underdeveloped in a negative manner. The movie has that main character dude from "The FP" which was a alright movie and it's directed from the same director of "The FP". This one on the other hand is a complete disappointment and lacked the creativity and some clever moments that "The FP" had. Lucas Till is also in this but he doesn't really stand out. He should just stick with the superhero role in the "X-Men" movies. The premise is bland with the characters not being likable or developed enough. It's basically another Jigsaw like villain playing games with these so called superheroes. Except Jigsaw is more of a likable villain for someone that is a villain or can be a anti-hero to some. James Remar is alright but he plays a very detestable and despicable villain. If they were going in a direction where they wanted the villain disliked and unclear, they did a fine job on that area. Overall this is a awful superheroes movie that isn't even a superheroes movie. They lacked the budget which is fine in some cases but if they didn't have a good enough idea they shouldn't have even tried.1/10
