The Specials (2000)

Written by James Gunn Directed by Craig Mazin Like Mystery Men the year before it, The Specials is a superhero movie that pokes fun at the genre of super hero movies, without actually taking part in the genre like Mystery Men did. Obviously the writers of both movies saw the potential for comedy, and they struck while X-Men was the first hit of the genre. I'm not going to argue which came first, because even though Mystery Men came first into theaters, I know James Gunn had the script for The Specials for at least a few years before, and this is the script that got him major Hollywood recognition. The difference is, The Specials is a unique character study, and an infinitely funny and sweet script. Mystery Men is also a funny script, and it is also a character study, but at the same time it has the action elements that allow it to really spoof the superhero genre. I believe with a bigger budget and a different director, The Specials would have been a lot closer in tone and style to Mystery Men than it ended up being, but the low budget nature of the film is actually what lends it most of it's charm. That, and it it's a completely different type of comedy, unique in its own way. The Strobe (Thomas Hayden Church) and Ms Indestructable (Paget Brewster) are the husband/wife leaders of The Specials, the world's best third rate crime fighting team. They might not get the headlines, the money, or the glory, but they serve their purpose, despite their arrogant and overblown leader, The Strobe, who can shoot lasers from his body. Other members of the specials include: Deadly Girl (Judy Greer), who summons demons, Minute Man (James Gunn) who can shrink to incredibly small sizes, Mr Smart (Jim Zulevic) who is the smartest man in the world, US Bill (Mike Schwartz) who has super strength, Amok (Jamie Kennedy) who can do....something with energy, The Weevil (Rob Lowe) who has.....weevil-like abilities, and the latest recruit, Night Bird (Jordan Ladd) who has....bird like powers? Okay, so you get the point, none of them have top rate super powers, and none of them can really do anything too fantastic. Hence their third rate nature. Still, The Specials are a tight knight crew, and they have their place in the world, often coming in handy when the first rate superheroes are busy solving the big cases. However, when they all rally to support their action figure line, their group comes apart at the seams when the figures aren't what they expected, and the press conference turns into a disaster, and the team disintegrates right in front of the press. The characters' personal relationships and complicated lives are put up for public ridicule and the team can't handle it, with many of the team members going their separate ways. Like I said, this film is decidedly low budget, both James Gunn and his brother Sean act in it, and it was a film that went for the heart instead of the wallet. Had Gunn been allowed to direct this film, I think it would've been a lot different, his style would have suited the material better, and it wouldn't have felt as slow and hollow. The script, however, is hilarious in many parts, the only problem is the gaps in between the laughs that are filled with decidedly boring filmmaking, and a lack of fluidity in the relationships being established. Still, the script manages to shine through these weak spots, and along with some great supporting performances by nearly everyone involved, along with some great scenes that are just plain fun and entertaining (such as the dance scene, which really has no place, except to liven up the mood of the film), the film manages to pull off the superhero satire in a completely different, more adult way than Mystery Men. Definitely more for fans of the superhero genre than the common populace, but that's alright. 7.8/10