Welcome back to another #hauntlife blog. And again, I am doing what I love: Watching movies and giving my unbiased ideas about how great or not so great certain films are. And along the way, I may get off track, but hey, that’s what you all like (at least I am told that).
This week, I got a chance to check out The Middle Finger, a new release from the good folks at Troma Entertainment. Like many films from the legendary company, it is not an original film produced and directed by the studio, itself. Instead, The Middle Finger is a film acquired from Seamus Hanly, who also happens to be the director, writer, musical director and lead actor — a lot of hats for a single man to wear, but when you’ve got talent, you can do it.
The film centers around Dennis, who is probably one of the most socially awkward teens ever found in film. One night, Dennis is stunned by a blinding light while a disembodied voice explains that he has been granted super powers. Moments later, Dennis finds himself wearing a giant hand flipping the bird on his head and a ridiculous costume with the same symbol emblazoned on its’ chest. Promised by the voice that he will always be victorious (even though he has no real powers), Dennis begins his path from zero to hero.
At first, his heroic endeavors are limited to muggers and petty purse snatchers. But soon, Dennis engages into battle with another super-powered person, who has the ability to control neckties to do his bidding, as well as a clown with the ability to warp reality. But soon, Dennis encounters the ultimate evil he is destined to fight, and it comes from the one person in his life he never believed it would. Can Dennis stop the end of the world and restore order?
Not going to tell you!
All in all, I liked this film. It’s what you would expect from an indie film that is set to be a parody of some of the superhero films on the market. By doing so, it actually has carved itself a nice spot in being one of the most memorable spoofs I have seen. I know Hollywood has made a few “would be” superhero films, but honestly, this one works better. I think it is because I truly see Seamus Hanly as a total loser when he plays Dennis. I get the feeling this guy truly has no social skills. And then i think about how that would feel to be thrust into a world where he has to save the world from its destruction. While he may have become a superhero, he didn’t end up getting any better in social circles. Helped add to the immersion of the film.
The fight choreography was awful. But I think that was supposed to be bad. I guess my complaint is that you can get a little rougher with each other and make it look good. Heck, look at some of the matches in WWE. Even though those guys are not hitting each other hard, they still sell it to make it look good on camera. Same could apply here, as the fighting almost pulled me out of the film.
Other than that, this is a pretty good film. I give it four out of five stars. Love the originality and the character design. Fighting could use some work, but hey, it’s probably meant to be bad.
