Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes

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?

I picked this up as an online rental just because it was highly rated in the gay/lesbian section and I'm glad I did. "Surge of Power" is a cute low budget film with obvious but undeclared gay characters. I enjoyed the story and got many of the insider references placed there just for the gay comics nerds like me. While Vincent Roth's acting skills may not have been super great, his enthusiasm, personality, cute face and chiseled body went a long way in making up for his other deficiencies. Getting through the opening credits, you realize that this is a dream project for Roth and it shows in the script, costumes and other design touches attributed to him.

There were a number of guest appearances by actors associated with comic book and science fiction TV shows like the original Lois Lane (Noel Neill), the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno), and Star Trek's Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). These appearances and other things served to both legitimize as well as poke fun at the movie. Another guest was actor Trev Broudy who was severely beaten in a hate crime in 2002 in his first acting appearance following his recovery.

While the movie may have been a low-budget vanity project, the superhero special effects seemed appropriate most of the time.

I found the movie entertaining as light-hearted fare in the superhero genre. I didn't have high expectations for the movie and was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of the film. If you are a gay comics fanboy, I do recommend this a fun rental.

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.

Saw this flick last night at a midnight movie presentation in gay ol' Ft. Lauderdale and, interestingly enough, the "star" Vincent Roth introduced the movie. He is cute and well put-together, but his public speaking skills are on par with his acting ability, and unfortunately for all of us, that is not good. The movie doesn't really tread new ground, in fact, for a gay-themed movie, it wasn't really that interesting of a story. Very lame acting, with many over-weight actors who didn't fit their roles well and left some of us thinking that if we give enough money to an independent movie producer that, we too, could star in a movie! Vincent Roth is rather one-dimensional in his portrayal of the lead and only adds a bit of luster in one scene which is too little, too late. In fact, his body AND acting belong in an entirely different genre of film...PORN! Overall, the film lacks any charm...the only stand-out in the cast is the lead characters science-goober friend, who, unlike any of the others, COULD act his way out of a paper bag! Sorry girls, if you want an entertaining gay-themed movie to see, skip this one...but if you want to see gym-bodied guys with impossible-to-recreate "high cheek bones", in too tight spandex shirts running around like queens...this one is for you! I gave it 4 stars out of 10 just for the few scenes that DO work and the raw nerve it took to release this narcissistic piece of fluff!