Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes

My friend got the movie and we sat down to watch. The main elements that immediately stood out to me was the "theater" style acting associated with many inexperienced screen artists. We have often seen this, even in our auditions, where someone who is used to the drama and overly expressive voice projection of theater often carry this into the film and create an unrealistic film environment. (The film public expect more today than ever.) This was not the case with all the actors since Vincent Roth did show some signs of comedic promise, but in my opinion, could have been hampered by some of the others.

As far as writing, well, I think it worked well and some very clever comic comments nestled in was very well done with this type of story. Now, if this is a low budget film, and they used what they had, well, I think they did a good job. Overall, however, I believe the acting was weak and that the director (Sorry, Mike) should have been looking for better if that were possible. Matching budget with talent with effects is always a challenge. Sorry, y'all, but I cannot rate it highly under such conditions.

I just saw the movie tonight at the Gay & Lesbian Film Fest in Palm Desert, California. It was a funny movie - patterned after other comic book superhero movies, but with gay characters. My favorite parts were the cameos. Nichelle Nichols was awesome & looks as beautiful as she did when she filmed Startrek. I always enjoy seeing Lou Ferrigno of Incredible Hulk fame - and he looks terrific and as muscular as ever. It's nice to see him in a speaking part & wearing his hearing aids - he is a great example of a real-life superhero. The movie had gay characters, but they weren't all just stereotypical buffoons like in many gay movies & sitcoms. Though romance was in the air, the characters abstained from any physical contact - in the tradition of true superheros. It is a low budget, independent film - and as such I wasn't expecting a Spiderman-type blockbuster movie with special effects in excess. Instead, the plot and characters carried the movie, with only minimal special effects. I hope the movie finds a distributer, or at least shows up as a DVD, so I can see it again.

I rented Surge of Power from Blockbuster and found it to be good, clean campy fun. Even though I agree with some of the comments regarding the weaker acting performances, but overall I thought some of the strongest performances came from Tangen, Roth, Venturini, and the slew of guest stars like Nichelle Nichols, Lou Ferrigno and Noel Neill. This was kind of a throw-back to the old campy Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, so I think the performances were supposed to be tongue-in-cheek and over-the-top. I especially liked the battle scenes between Surge and The Metal Master and I really enjoyed the bank robbery scene with Noel Neill. The costumes were great and the cheesy effects added to the kitsch. The gay stuff was ambiguous so I think everyone of all ages could enjoy this movie. I can't help but wonder -- is there going to be a Surge 2?

The current rating for this film is about 3, with a large number of 1 votes being cast. I can only speculate, but I suspect the 1 votes are mostly coming from humourless fanboys seeking to view everything that stars like Lou Ferrigno have ever done (like cameos in the two recent Hulk films) checking out this film on that basis, and being unable to deal with its awesome gayness, which is mostly revealed through double entendres in a tamer way than the Ambiguously Gay Duo. (But I am disappointed I didn't detect a reference to Surge Studios...) Either that, or people are not being properly recruited before receiving their gay cards.

Truthfully, it is a bit odd that nearly everyone in the film reads as gay. Even in a Big City, that's not realistic. Not that it has to be realistic (it is a superhero movie after all) but then it should be explained.

The acting in this film is absolutely dreadful. It's NOT the worst I've ever seen, but it's pretty bad. And the effects and editing some times are just as painful to watch.

But there is something so charming about the story. True, some of the charm radiates from Gavin/Surge as a person. But it's a good, sweet, and funny story as well, and the writer deserves the credit. Oh wait! It's the same guy. That's either really adorable or really creepy in a Tom Cruise's ego kind of way. I'm going with adorable until proved otherwise. I wish this film had at least 20 times the budget to see what could be done with it. Consider Hancock, for example.

This film is a treat for fans looking for cameos and references to science fiction or superhero films. You've got the Hulk, Uhura, others (hey, I can't know everyone), and references to pretty much everything.

The recurring appeals to the Christian religion seemed out of place to me. It's a science fiction superhero movie -- not exactly the place to get all religious on us. However, nobody in the film actually received help from a deity to do anything, and that dovetails in with one theme of the film, which is self-confidence.

In summary, I'm looking for more from this team, and somebody needs to fund them properly.

Well, I will tell you right up front: avoid this movie at all cost. What could have been a fairly interesting spoof on super heroes (gay one's at that) is one of the dullest films to come out since the invention of film. "Surge of Power" is quite possibly the longest 85 minutes in the history of the movies. Surge does have a power: to make it seem like time is standing still.

The script is half baked and lacks anything close to a believable story line. Let's hope Vincent J. Roth never writes another screenplay. The story never seems to move forward or amount to much of anything. Is this a comedy? A spoof? Comedy? Bad timing and bad acting just make it a bad film. There is no wit...just a bunch of nit wits. who probably think this film is great. Go back to film making class.

The acting is horrible. Let's not even call it acting...no one is even trying. The cast is packed with instantly forgettable actors. Most seem to be walking through their parts...or making it up as they go along. The actor who attempts to play "Surge" is worst of the bunch. Hot guy but not much else. He has no sense of timing...no sense of character. Thus the film makes no sense. You will find it odd how he never seems to be looking at the people he is talking with. Or is he just stoned? Celebrity cameos - and I am being quite generous using the word celebrity - are simply embarrassing. Oddly the high point of the film is the appearance of Nichelle Nichols (you remember her from Star Trek) as a character named "Omen." The lady does a lot with 10 lines of dialog and makes every else look bad. Sadly, she is gone after a few minutes and the film again sinks into mud.

This is what gay and lesbian films have come to? Producers Vincent J. Roth, Tom Tangen, and Michael Donahue should be ashamed of themselves.