Mystery Men (1999)

Mystery Men (1999) is a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek superhero comedy set in the crime-ridden Champion City. When the city’s star hero, Captain Amazing, is publicly outmaneuvered and then kidnapped by the flamboyant supervillain Casanova Frankenstein, a ragtag team of amateur crimefighters — the Blue Raja (spoon-throwing), the Shoveler (shovel-wielding), Mr. Furious (temper-fueled), the Bowler (possessed bowling ball), the Spleen (flatulence-based attacks), Invisible Boy (only invisible when no one’s watching), the mysterious Sphinx and a few other oddballs — must step up to save their idol and the city. Watching Mystery Men you’ll get a mix of broad, absurdist comedy and action-tinged spectacle. The film pokes fun at superhero tropes while also giving its misfit characters surprisingly human arcs: they bumble, argue, fail, and ultimately grow into a team. Expect sight gags, quirky powers put to unexpected uses, comic confrontations with an over-the-top villain, and heartfelt underdog moments that ground the humor. Tonally it’s satirical and affectionate — equal parts parody and genuine celebration of the superhero genre. Fans of ensemble comedies and offbeat, 1990s-style superhero movies will enjoy the outrageous setpieces, sharp one-liners, and the warm payoff as unlikely heroes discover what it really means to be heroic.

Actors: Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy

Director: Kinka Usher

Runtime: 121 min

Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy

5.3 /10 66 /100 6.1 /10 6.0 /10