Mystery Men

Overview

"In Universal's Mystery Men, a motley group of ""superheroes"" battle evil, and the real mystery is what, if any, special abilities these guys and girls possess. But there is no mystery surrounding the enjoyment-enhancing abilities of the feature-filled DVD of the film. The movie contains an all-star cast, including Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria, and Geoffrey Rush. The DVD, which presents the movie in a widescreen format in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, contains an all-star list of special features. These include commentary by director Kinka Usher, who seems most delighted at having directed this movie, a feature about locations, deleted scenes, and musical highlights. There are also production notes, special DVD-ROM features, and an explanation of the Mystery Men comic book characters. The only mystery with this DVD is how many different ways a viewer can delight in its special features."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/11/2000
UPC:	0025192068829
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:02:00
Sales rank:	6,966

Special Features

Spotlight on location; Feature commentary with director Kinka Usher; Deleted scenes; Universal soundtrack presentation; Music highlights; Origin of the "Mystery Men" comic book characters; Production notes; Theatrical trailer; DVD-ROM features

Editorial Reviews

Though it suffers from a bloated production and an overabundance of the hipness quotient, Kinka Usher's inventive, often uproariously funny outing deserves credit for its funky, offbeat casting and a genuine sense of satire. The film may have been more successful if given the solid B-movie treatment that Neil Cuthbert's knowing, smart screenplay deserved, but for every scene that lands with a thud, there's two or three that soar, and the comically gifted performers milk every situation for its full potential. One might argue that letting these actors run wild with such a shaky foundation is a bad idea, but they all give fun-loving, devoted performances, and the superhero genre gets an effective tweaking while still delivering the goods as a big summer movie (though the film's protracted, numbing last reel grows tiresome very quickly). Released in August of 1999, the film was hugely unsuccessful, making only a fraction of what it cost to produce, and audiences stayed away in droves. Presumably, the marketing was unsure as to who the film was made for -- which, quite honestly, is part of its appeal.