Superhero Media: Mystery Men

As much as I enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe and references between films, there is a part of me that misses having a good, single, stand-alone superhero film to watch. When I say a "stand-alone" film, I don't mean that it can't have sequels or at least a sequel tease, pretty much every film among Action the sub-genres does this, but rather, I mean a film or series that is self-contained, not referencing any broader "universe". Thankfully, I have Mystery Men, an excellent film that creates a deep and satisfying setting, but doesn't overstay any welcomes and stands alone in its quality. Champion city is defended by Captain Amazing, a sponsored hero in the vein of Booster Gold, focused more on maintaining his Pepsi endorsement rather than the criminals he's defeating; in order to boost his ratings, he arranges for the release of Casanova Frankenstein, an insane genius with a taste for Baroque decor. Casanova soon captures the dim Amazing and the city is on the verge of being destroyed, the only hope lies with The Shoveler, Mr Furious and the Blue Raja.  

Before we go any further, can we just look at the cast on this film? Ben Stiller, Geoferry Rush, Paul Reubens, Greg Kinnear, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy and Eddie Izzard. Holy shit, that's a lot of great names right there. Our original three heroes are soon joined by The Spleen, Invisible Boy, The Bowler and The Sphinx and they must battle their way past their own internal conflict and incompetence in order to storm Casanova's mansion, defeat Tony P and his Disco boys and save the city. Mystery Men is the best kind of satire, the kind which reveres what it is lampooning; yes, the film highlights the stupidity inherent in a superhero universe, but at the same time makes a man who "shovel[s] well" a genuine hero. No one bats an eye at all of the super-science or outright magic, like Spleen's gypsy curse or a haunted bowling ball and only Mr Furious thinks that the Clark Kent equivalent is an obvious secret identity. The internet age and YouTube have really dulled the ideas of Satire and Parody, so going back to a film more in the Mel Brooks or Abrams/Zukker mold is really refreshing. Or, you know, just read some Jonathan Swift at some point people. 

Naturally, I would love all of the characters from Mystery Men in 28mm form, should someone be kind enough to make them. Champion City would make a great setting, with it's industrial decay, sweeping dumps and incompetent police contrasted with a plastic and colourful suburbia. Tony P and the Disco Boys are begging for a run in Brutal and/or Judge Dredd Miniatures Game, not even to mention that Eddie Izzard needs to play more supervillains. And Geoffery Rush, there has to be a role for him as a baddie in an upcoming MCU film somewhere. Mystery Men is another film where I find myself wondering why no one talks about it, is it an age thing? The fact of it being satire? The presence of Pee Wee Herman? If you're too young to have been aware of this film, track it down and give it a watch, it's brilliant. As mentioned above, I'm actually glad that Mystery Men is the only film in its series and setting, it's a perfect little package that needs nothing else to improve it.