THE MOVIE

Synopsis:

‘Comic Book Villains’ introduces us to a comic book fan named Archie (DJ Qualls) who unfortunately does not have the means to purchase as many comics as he desires. Therefore, he spends most of his time in a local comic book store owned by his close friend Raymond (Donal Logue). Raymond is one of those guys for whom comic books are his life and passion. Raymond also has a rather disturbing habit of only talking to people who are well versed on trivial matters such as ‘name the fantastic four and their alter egos’ and ‘which comic book did Wonder Woman first appear in’.

It soon becomes apparent that Raymond is finding it difficult to make both ends meet, however, his passion for comic books keeps his motivation in check. To make matters worse, Raymond must compete against a rival comic book store owned by Norman (Michael Rapaport) and his wife Judy (Natasha Lyonne). Unlike Raymond’s store, Norman and Judy’s establishment is well kept and fully stocked with not only comics, but collector cards, figurines and other such collectable items. Archie informs us that Norman and Judy are not comic book fans, but rather entrepreneurs who recognise a cash cow when they see one.

One day, a comic collector named Conan (Danny Masterson) decides to stir up trouble and informs both Raymond and Norman and Judy that a comic book collector from their neighbourhood has recently passed away, leaving behind a priceless collection of comic books. Soon after, it’s a race against the clock for Raymond, Norman and Judy who desperately attempt to persuade Mrs Cresswell (Eileen Brennan) to sell her dead son’s comic book collection to them.

However, when Mrs Cresswell refuses to sell her son’s possessions, things start to turn nasty. Initially each party performs day-to-day chores for Mrs Cresswell, in the hope that their ‘kindness’ will result in substantial dividends. When Mrs Cresswell continues to refuse to sell her son’s comics, each party begins to act erratically and eventually they transform into ‘comic book villains’ who will stop at nothing (not even murder) to retrieve the comic book collection.

From this point on, we are introduced to a hitman named Carter (Cary Elwes) who has been hired by Raymond to steal the comic books from Mrs Cresswel. However, Carter has his own devious plans which lead to dire consequences for all involved.

Commentary:

Hmmm…what started as a promising quirky satire on comic book store owners and their customer base quickly descends into one of the most schizophrenic pieces of film-making I have had the displeasure of viewing!!!

One of the biggest problems associated with ’Comic Book Villains’ is that it lacks an overall cohesiveness. As I stated above, the film begins by introducing us to a quirky world which is not too dissimilar to small town life. We meet comic book store owners who despite having different missions (i.e. to make a quick buck vs. truly being devoted to comic books and their fans) actually share in the perennial problems of most small business operators (i.e. the comic book industry has suffered over the past few years). We are also introduced to some extremely witty dialogue and well-developed characters at the beginning of the feature, which unfortunately never develops through to the finale of this piece.

Interestingly enough, the director/writer of ’Comic Book Villains’, James Robinson, is in reality a comic book author and collector. This shines through in the beginning half of the film where many comic book references and trivia are integrated into the script for comic book fans all over the world to nod and wind at.

So how did it all go downhill from here?

To put it bluntly, the film goes off the rails after the first act. Robinson has done such a fine job in characterising each of the key cast members in the opening act, that it comes as a complete surprise to me that he would let all that hard work come tumbling down in the subsequent acts, almost as if he had lost interest in the feature.

Let me elaborate on this point by giving you a few examples. Judy is portrayed as a ball-breaking wife in the opening act, however, we see that underneath the tough exterior, exists an insecure woman who desperately wants to have a child with her husband. Suddenly Act II arrives and Judy is a murdering psychopath, who has no qualms about ramming Raymond with her car whilst he is crossing the street!!! Worse, we are led to believe that Raymond has been seriously injured by this accident, yet he reappears a few moments later as if nothing had ever happened!!!

Another example is when Carter double crosses Raymond and steals the comic books from Mrs Cresswell for himself. However, he is caught red-handed by Norman and Judy, as well as Raymond, Archie and Mrs Cresswell. We are then expected to believe that Carter would murder Mrs Cresswell in cold-blood in order to escape such a ‘terrible’ crime scene!!!

These are just two examples of extreme behaviour which did not sit well with me at the conclusion of the feature. These sequences also showcase how far off from a black comedy ’Comic Book Villains’ actually is. If anything, the feature left me with a very bitter aftertaste in my mouth!!!

Casting wise, there is a rather interesting mix of predominantly indie based actors in ’Comic Book Villains’. Donal Logue portrays Raymond in a truly remarkable manner, which makes his transition from nerd to murderous psychopath all the more believable. Cary Elwes (‘The Princess Bride’ and ’The X-Files’) is also quite good as the ex-con come hitman. DJ Qualls (‘Road Trip’), despite having a smaller role, also come across quite well in ’Comic Book Villains’ as his character remains sane throughout the feature, and is probably the only one we can actually empathise with by the end of the movie.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Natasha Lyonne (‘American Pie’) and Michael Rapaport (‘Deep Blue Sea’) who deliver some truly ghastly performances in this feature. Rapaport’s consistent whining just gets on your nerves from the moment he is introduced to the audience, and Lyonne’s performance is played with all the enthusiasm of watching paint dry!!!

Ultimately, ’Comic Book Villains’ is a shocker and should be avoided at all costs, unless you are a die-hard comic book fan. But even comic book fans should be warned…somewhat ironically, James Robinson ends his movie on a serious note, suggesting that it is not worth devoting your life to the pursuit of comic books!!!

THE TRANSFER

Video:

’Comic Book Villains’ is presented with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer.

The actual video transfer is amazingly sharp for such a B-grade movie!!! However, there were a few instances of compression artefacting every now and again, which lowered my overall video ranking.

The colour palette is utilised quite well in this feature, especially during transition sequences where comic book art is used for effect. Flesh tones appeared natural and shadow details were excellent.

As this was a single layered disc, there was no layer transition.

Audio:

’Comic Book Villains’ is presented with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and an alternate Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

As this feature is mainly dialogue based, there is a heavy emphasis on the centre speakers. However, surround speakers were also used to great effect in many sequences to emphasise ambient/surround effects such as rain, gunshots and traffic.

There were no issues with audio sync, however some subtitles would have been useful as there were instances where I found it difficult to hear what some of the characters were saying, mostly due to mumbling or whining.

THE EXTRAS

Being a rental title, we should not expect too many extras included on this disc. Perish the thought of what may actually turn up on the rental version of this disc!!! Personally, I think a director’s commentary is in order to explain how this mess came about.

(i) Animated Menus

Well…only slightly animated. There is a brief animated introduction to the menu before we are introduced to a static comic book style menu. On the bright side, there is background audio and the menu is anamorphically enhanced.

(ii) Theatrical Trailer – ‘Comic Book Villains’ (2:03)

The theatrical trailer for ’Comic Book Villains’ is presented in full frame aspect ratio with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. This is a typical theatrical trailer that is nothing out of the ordinary.

(iii) Theatrical Trailer – ‘The Wash’ (2:09)

Unfortunately, this theatrical trailer pops up as soon as you load the DVD into your player. It is possible to skip the trailer simply by selecting ‘character skip’ on your remote control.

This theatrical trailer is also presented in a full frame aspect ratio with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Personally, I don’t see the link between this movie and ’Comic Book Villains’.

What does the Region 4 version miss out on?

The Region 4 version of ’Comic Book Villains’ misses out on English and Spanish subtitles, a biography for the comic character ’Orion the Hunter’, as well as theatrical trailers for ’Vulgar’ and ’Rules of Attraction’.

SUMMARY

What can I say?

’Comic Book Villains’ tries oh so hard to be a black comedy, but fails miserably due to the fact that it is quite simply…not funny!!!

For someone who apparently drafts/collects comics, I expected much more from director/writer James Robinson. Instead, what we have is a mess that should be avoided at all costs.

I strongly suggest Columbia Tristar’s ’Spiderman’ as an alternative to ’Comic Book Villains’ which showcases the appeal of comics, whilst also being an entertaining film for all ages.