Mirageman

So, you fancy a film which contains a lot of butt-kicking, off-beat humour and a gritty underlining theme? Whoa, wait, there also has to be plenty of satire.

Not after much, are you? Well fear not, because Mirageman delivers!!!

Ripped into by some, unknown to most, and establishing himself a solid fanbase with a select few, Marco Zaror was kick-arse long before the comic ever existed; he had the e-mails, the dodgy outfit, the bad haircut... But about the film:

Obsessed with being in a prime condition to defend himself after BLAH (generic vigilante background psychology), one night our soon-to-be hero jogs into the scene of a crime in progress and then it's all a blur: his training takes over, he KICKS BUTT! Yes, this is what he was training himself for all this time. Yet it's not clear to him until one of the women he rescued turns out to be a wannabe TV reporter who thanks him on the news at 11.

Okay, so now what's a boy to do if he wants to become the next Batman?

Going through a range of ridiculous kits and taking the bus to places where trouble may lurk, "Chile's national hero", as the HOT - now bona fide - TV reporter dubs him, finds his exploits methodically covered as she cashes in on her looks (I mentioned that she's HOT, right?) and his antics for a winning combination.

But for how long can a dude in a mask stay in the public eye? How much of an impact can one man beating up bag-snatchers make on society? It's at this point that the film takes it up a notch and we see that it has a whole other level of depth, as it effortlessly pivots from light-heartedness-to-something dark; from the downright hilarious-to-sheer brutality for a grand finalé.

So if you're looking for something a bit different, do yourself a massive favour and check out Mirageman; you may be disappointed but there's an 8/10 chance that you'll like it!

Zaror's last movie, Kiltro, and this one, are incredibly fun to watch; the best time I've ever have in the cinema was watching them. Mirageman, in any case, is not only fun (the comical depictions of "typical" Chilean stuff are great!), but the social and psychological part of it is moving. Zaror's character is lovable, you can't help to feel the rightness of his cause, in a much deeper way than other superheroes movies like Spiderman, cause he is real! The TV's abuse on Miragamen is also a good metaphor on how the Chilean media is. The only thing I hope is that they don't make a second part... Anyways, watching this movie is money well spent, super recommended :)

Full review on my blog max4movies: Mirageman is a low-budget action movie that focuses on a more or less realistic story of a bouncer turned vigilante. The independent production lacks in cinematography and the plot and the comedic undertones may not always work as effectively as they should. However, this doesn't mean that Mirageman is simply a cheap copy of similarly themed movies like Kick-Ass with a considerably higher budget and well-known actors. The stunt work and choreography are impressive and the gritty performances make the movie feel realistic and compelling. The movie also never takes itself too seriously, which makes for some light-hearted and funny bits - that are also accompanied by some more serious discussions about the morality of vigilante actions in general. In total, Mirageman is a convincing and entertaining action movie package.

When you hear "superhero movie," its almost a given you think larger than life characters with over the top action scenes and heavy special effects. Sadly what I imagine will be lost on many potential viewers is that Mirageman is supposed to be what would happen if someone in the real world decided to become a superhero.

Sure, there have been famous superheroes before whose only "power" has been knowing karate, but Mirageman does a great job setting up the realistic consequences of someone putting on a mask to fight crime. His martial arts are impressive but they're very real, with no camera tricks or special effects to make them look cooler. He doesn't have a police scanner or anything, so he has to rely on people emailing him their problems to find out where to be (which some people abuse, naturally).

Mirageman is no god among men either; he gets surprised, beaten within an inch of his life and wonders what the hell made him think he could do this after a disastrous setback. But in the end, he realizes in a cynical world like ours one ordinary person can make a difference if they've got the courage to try.

Mirageman isn't your average blockbuster superhero movie, but if you're willing to accept it for it differences, you won't be disappointed.

This is rational and perspective review:

If created in US, this movie would be laughable, ridiculed by all, and reduced to its own special place on a shelf in your local video store. The main actor would receive invitation to be an extra in a movie directed by Dolf Lundgren, and from there he would slowly grow as an actor, until the highlight of his career will be playing a bodyguard for a villain in a movie directed by Uwe Boll.

But since it's not, since this was created in Chile and has this special exotic smell, it goes to film festivals and gets screenings at the theaters. The main actor will still receive invitation to be in a Dolf Lundgren's movie, but that is not the point.

The movie looks like an amateur action/martial arts movie, but actually has a little more to offer.

The martial arts are good, and although it's not Tony Jaa good, the important thing is that it looks and feels very real. That is a first achievement. There are some funny scenes, sort of self humor, that have this WTF? potential and will make you laugh. Like when the Mirageman jumps from height to land bad on the hard asphalt, and then he rubs his foot, like it really hurt him. This small self humor is another achievement.

The story is rubbish, of course, full with melodramatic moments and silly situations. The production value is very poor, some of the street scenes were filmed with hidden camera and the reaction of people is real.

The Mirageman is not bold thematically, and mainly uses primitive and stereotypical tearful situations to awake some emotions in the viewer and create an empathy toward the heroic protagonist. You will find just a little complexity in this movie.

But Mirageman explores some difficult issues too, like what people are capable of in order to get famous, the price of fame and what is it mean to be a hero and what are the reasons to be one.

Overall the watching experience is very decent, and it even gets some big reinforcement by the ending, which is surprisingly good. The ending puts all the movie in the correct proportions, tights properly the plot, and delivers the movie as a good and solid product. The ending is the final and the biggest achievement.