Meu Nome é Jeeg Robot

Well, one year after his release I finally watch "They Call Me Jeeg". I had great expectations for this movie, and most of it was met. This movie tell the story of a "superhero" produced in Italy and directed and interpreted by Italian director and actors,who have become accustomed to the usual "cine-panettoni", I can call it a "small masterpiece". Of course, it is not perfect, in fact in some points the acting (in some cases), the accuracy of certain details, the characterization of some characters and the audio of the movie(although, all in all, in a few moments). Finally, after seeing 1173 movies in my life, I think I can say that this movie deserves a lot, considering also Gabriele Mainetti's still not have many experiences as a director. So I suggest to all those who have lost it to dedicate 1: 52h of their time.

In the attempt of hiding from the police, Enzo Ceccotti, a small street criminal, jumps in the very polluted river Tevere; a few days after he'll discover to have acquired extraordinary powers.

I'm sure that it will not be easy to fully comprehend the beauty of this movie if you don't understand the complexity of the contemporary Italy. This movie depicts perfectly a country full of contradictions: a breath-taking city envied all over the world that hides a degraded outskirt deep inside; a generation of children stuck in their grown ups bodies with their vanilla puddings and their Japanese anime on local TV channels; a criminal class that fluctuates from the ridiculousness to the ruthlessness to whom money has the same importance than popularity and Youtube visualization numbers; and a criminal with no emotional bonds, values or reasons to do good (that would not inspire empathy in any other superhero movies), is saved from an unexpected "damsel in distress" and becomes the hero of a community that often looks hopeless to those who live here every day but that sometimes, unexpectedly, finds its superpowers in the common people, the real heroes of this crazy, misunderstood country.

Here is a backstory you will not find in a comic book, but likely deserves one anyway.

A non-traditional director does a superhero film in Italy (believed to the first ever) and sets it against a backdrop of actual themes and events and social issues well known to those who live there.

Unlike Marvel and DC, who are fighting each other to the death in an insane crusade to monetize every last story, treatment, and dust bunny in their respective archives, director Mainetti took what he needed from the superhero mythology and threw the rest out.

The mere fact that this movie does not care about a sequel or a franchise or a merchandising spin off gives it instant points in my book.

When you look closely at it, and see solid writing, good performances, and even a "tragic romance" as good as anything from a daytime soap, you realize that we have something very special here.

Recommended.

GOOD. Italian ci-fi of a superhero. In reality, he is a type of anti-hero, a delinquent who lives on small urban crimes and who suddenly discovers he has supernatural powers. It somewhat resembles another character from American cinema and comic books: Deadpool. For those who have seen one of the Deadpool films, you will know what it is about. Perhaps it is a trend in modern cinema to create unconventional superhero stories, with satire, humor, irony, and sarcasm. The special effects are simple but suited to the purpose of the narrative. The story is interesting and entertaining. Like almost all superhero films, the film's events are forged by the author to match the narrative. It's a good movie for entertainment, which is what matters. I recommend.

Go with it! Actually run with it would be better. And the filmmaker of this one did exactly that. It's always about the money, although you couldn't tell the budget for this one, because the mind goes a long way. And they really though of something that while it may not be unique, it very much feels like it is. And that alone is worth more than a really big budget.

So if you are open minded and like weird Indie movies, you will have the time of your life with this one. It's our anti-hero who's carrying this, but also the female lead who's helping a lot (maybe not always literally but you get the point). It may feel creepy or wrong at times, but that just goes to show you, that the movie is rough on the edges. And it's refreshing that it doesn't seem to mind about correctness one way or another. One of the best Fantasy movies in the last couple of years - and who said Italy couldn't do any Genre movies anymore?