Review: REAL HEROES

Title: REAL HEROES

Year: 2014

Director: Keith Hartman

Writer: Keith Hartman

Starring: Hunter Smit, Keila Hamilton, Melissa Jobe, Ilona Kulinska, Lars Slind, Matt Palazzolo

"The true story of six heroes, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when heroes stop being polite... and start getting real."

I really wish REAL HEROES would have opened with a line like this one up above. Not that the line is really needed. The new feature from writer/director Keith Hartman is clearly a parody of MTV's Real World with super heroes playing the role of your "everyday" people. It's clear what the movie is going for, a line like that one would have just been a nice added touch.

The film opens with a TV producer trying to put together the next big show. His idea is a reality show based around a group of super heroes. The execs love it but there's one problem - finding actual super heroes, you know the kind with real powers, turns out to be quite the chore. Eventually six are chosen with  powers factoring into the decision process very little.

The heroes are Big Shot, Malibu Action Girl, Sable, The Vixen, Water Warrior and Psychic Sam. While the group may be light in the way of super powers, they do have the typical personalities you'd expect in a reality show. Big Shot is the quiet, series one. Malibu Action Girl is the fashion oriented one. Sable is the older one. The Vixen, Sable's daughter, is the one that doesn't want to be there. Water Warrior is the good looking dumb one. And Psychic Sam is the one that kind of gets along with everyone for the most part.

We get to know the characters the same way we meet the cast of the Real World. We see the heroes interact with one another, discussing villains and other things super heroes talk about. In between the interactions each hero has their one-on-ones in which they talk directly to the camera. 

For the most part REAL HEROES works. It's a good parody of the Real World. And it's actually funny. The beginning of the film was a little rough for me. A lot of the jokes seemed forced and the humor as a whole fell flat. As the film goes on however, and you spend more time with each character you begin to enjoy it more. 

I'm not sure how much crossover there is amongst fans of the Real World and comic books but fans of both those things would probably love this movie. If you're just a fan of the Real World, this probably isn't for you. Comic book fans will more than likely find enjoyment though. 

REAL HEROES starts a bit rough and some of the jokes miss the mark. Eventually it gains steam and delivers an enjoyable, little flick.

Rating: 3/5