Honestly, "Superhero Movie" could have been worse. After nearly a decade of embarrassing genre parodies, initiated by the surprise hit "Scary Movie" (2000), no one seems to know why these films are still being made. But while "Superhero Movie" isn't worth your hard-earned $9, it also isn't torturous to watch.
That's not exactly high praise, but on the sliding scale of the "Scary Movie," "Date Movie" (2006) and "Epic Movie" (2007) pantheon, it's saying something.
Instead of attempting to cover dozens of movies (and YouTube.com videos) like this year's "Meet the Spartans," "Superhero Movie" is remarkably straightforward. It adheres to the general plot of the first two "Spider-Man" (2002) films, with short detours for a superfluous "X-Men" (2000) sequence and a relatively clever flashback based on "Batman Begins" (2005).
Standing in for Tobey Maguire is Drake Bell as Rick Riker, a nerdy kid with an unrequited crush who gets bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly. He develops superpowers and dons a costume to fight crime. Meanwhile, a megalomaniacal entrepreneur accidentally acquires superpowers and ... you can see where this is going.
It's no wonder that one of these movies is churned out every couple of months. Writer and director Craig Mazin (who also wrote the third and fourth incarnations of the "Scary Movie" series) is hardly coy about his creative process. He starts with a preexisting script, changes some names and rearranges some plot elements. Then he shoehorns in a handful of uncomfortable scenes that involve flatulence, sex and crude old people. The jokes seem disjointed from the story, as if Mazin has forgotten the difference between parody and mere embellishment.
The film's best features are its two stars. Christopher McDonald (as the villainous Hourglass) and underrated Nickelodeon alum Bell wisely play the movie like they don't know it's a joke. Bell in particular manages to stay incredibly earnest, even with lines like, "With great power comes hot bitches."
Mercifully, Bell and McDonald carry most of the film. The colorful cast of superhero facsimiles in the movie's ads - including Tracey Morgan as Professor Xavier and Pamela Anderson as Invisible Girl - is reduced to mere cameo appearances. Bland Kirsten Dunst substitute Sara Paxton is hardly worth mentioning. Rick's token black friend (played by Kevin Hart) pays his dues at the beginning of the movie and wisely gets out fast.
"Happy Days" matriarch Marion Ross and Leslie Nielson, long past the glory days of "Airplane!" (1980), play Rick's elderly aunt and uncle. But they're only around to be carted in and out of scenes, suffering injuries and discussing genitalia. Meanwhile, reliably funny bit players like Jeffrey Tambor of "Arrested Development" and Ryan Hansen of "Veronica Mars" zoom by faster than a speeding bullet.
Irrelevant pop culture references are also kept to a notable minimum. Even if Mazin doesn't attempt creativity, he makes some effort to tie the parodies in with the plot, though he falls short of the mastery of the best film from this genre, "Not Another Teen Movie."
But in spite of a handful of virtues, this movie lives up to most of its audience's expectations. It nearly goes without saying that "Superhero Movie" is thoroughly unintelligent, mostly unfunny and generally forgettable. A few crude gag-filled scenes are difficult to sit through, especially in a movie theatre. The rest of the film is boring and predictable, particularly if you've already seen its source material.
