Mystery Men

Details

Champion City is a place where superheroes are big business. None are bigger than Captain Amazing, whose costume is plastered with corporate sponsorship and whose smiling face appears on almost every billboard in town. Unfortunately, with crime virtually wiped out, Captain Amazing has become bored and starts looking for a challenge worthy of his reputation.

In an attempt to create a worthy opponent, Captain Amazing's millionaire alter ego secretly arranges the release of his old nemesis, the wonderfully unhinged Casanova Frankenstein. Predictably, the plan backfires spectacularly when Frankenstein captures the superhero almost immediately, leaving Champion City without its only genuine protector.

With Captain Amazing missing, a group of hopelessly inexperienced crime fighters see their opportunity to become real heroes. Calling themselves the Mystery Men, they possess powers that are, to put it politely, somewhat questionable. Mr Furious becomes incredibly angry, the Blue Raja is an expert with cutlery (forks and spoons only - never knives!), the Shoveler is remarkably handy with a shovel, whilst the Spleen possesses perhaps the most unusual superpower ever committed to film... he farts... big time!

Determined to rescue Captain Amazing before it's too late, the Mystery Men launch an ambitious rescue mission. Unfortunately, things don't quite go according to plan and through an unfortunate misunderstanding involving a switch and a thrown fork, they accidentally ensure that Champion City loses its greatest hero for good.

With Frankenstein now free to unleash his latest weapon upon the city, the Mystery Men realise that pretending to be superheroes is no longer enough. They must somehow become the genuine article, recruiting additional members, learning to work together and discovering that courage is often far more important than spectacular superpowers.

Picture & Sound

Considering the number of dark scenes, the picture quality could easily have been disappointing, but Universal have produced an excellent transfer. Black levels remain solid throughout, colours are vibrant and the image is consistently sharp. The colourful costumes and comic-book inspired production design really shine on DVD, whilst compression artefacts are thankfully kept to an absolute minimum.

The Dolby Digital soundtrack is equally impressive. Dialogue remains clear throughout, whilst the surround channels are used effectively during the action scenes without becoming overbearing. Explosions, gunfire and Danny Elfman's energetic score all make excellent use of the soundstage, giving the film plenty of impact despite its comic tone.

Menu & Extras

The disc includes a respectable collection of extras headed by a lively commentary from director Kinka Usher. The deleted scenes are worth a look, although it is easy to understand why most of them were trimmed from the final cut. Fans of the original comic will also appreciate the feature covering the origins of the Mystery Men characters.

Universal have also included their usual production notes, trailers and DVD-ROM features, along with the familiar soundtrack presentation. It's not the most comprehensive special edition you'll ever see, but there is certainly enough here to keep fans entertained once the credits have rolled.

Overall

Mystery Men deserved far more success than it received during its original cinema run. Long before superhero films became the dominant force they are today, it was affectionately poking fun at comic-book conventions whilst simultaneously celebrating everything that makes them enjoyable.

Ben Stiller is excellent as the permanently frustrated Mr Furious, but the real scene-stealers are William H. Macy's relentlessly optimistic Shoveler and Geoffrey Rush, who clearly relishes every gloriously over-the-top moment as Casanova Frankenstein. Paul Reubens also deserves a mention for proving that breaking wind really can become a superpower if you commit to it wholeheartedly.

Janeane Garofalo once again plays a woman carrying more emotional baggage than most airports, but thankfully the Bowler turns out to be one of the film's most interesting characters. In fact, she's probably the only member of the team with a genuinely dangerous weapon. After all, who really wants to be chased by a possessed bowling ball?

The humour doesn't always hit the target, but when it does it is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Better still, the film has a surprising amount of heart, with its collection of hopeless heroes gradually becoming a believable team despite their spectacular lack of useful abilities.

Universal have produced an excellent DVD with impressive picture and sound quality and a decent selection of extras. If you're expecting another traditional superhero blockbuster you may be disappointed, but if you're looking for something quirky, colourful and consistently amusing then Mystery Men is well worth adding to your collection. It has become something of a cult classic over the years, and deservedly so.

Special features

• Spotlight on Location
• Feature Commentary with Director Kinka Usher
• Deleted Scenes
• Universal Soundtrack Presentation
• Music Highlights
• The Origin of the "Mystery Men" Comic Book Characters
• Production Notes
• Theatrical Trailer
• DVD-ROM Features