Hero at Large
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Movie Reviews of Hero at Large
Movie Review: A hero without powers...
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie was awesome. I just like the idea of the film it's funny and smart. It has a great moral to the story is that you don't have to wear a silly costume or have superpowers to be a hero. It's a good movie i recomend this movie to everyone.Movie Review: Favorite!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this movie! It's my favorite superhero movie, and I've seen them all. Buy it! Now! Seriously, you won't regret it.Movie Review: Hero at Large
Summary: 5 Stars
Product came quickly and exactly how described by seller. I am very satisfied with the purchase.Movie Review: Hero At Large
Summary: 5 Stars
Hero at large;Excellent, fun movie; John Ritter and Ann Archer at their best!!!
Movie Review: "HERO AT LARGE" - 1980 Forgotten Flick That May have More Impact!
Summary: 4 Stars
I didn't know this film existed until, after a trailer for "KICK-ASS", about to come out this year, someone thought that it was a "rip off" of "HERO AT LARGE", so I decided to see this film. Having read the comic book version of "KICK-ASS", while there are many similarities, "HERO AT LARGE" pre-dates it by over 15 years and has many more differences. The late John Ritter stars as Steve Nichols, a struggling actor drowning in NYC; skilled enough to help out acting students in his spare time, he can't even get a decent commercial job and is weeks late on rent. When he takes a gig appearing as "CAPTAIN AVENGER" to promote a superhero film of the same name, a trick of fate and a moment of courage from him snowball into him "becoming" the hero, and Steve, becoming a city wide sensation. While he seems most concerned with wooing the heart of his jaded next door neighbor (Anne Archer), a local public relations mogul as well as a local politician seek to manipulate the situation to their own ends.
For 1980, I sincerely believe this film was ahead of it's time. It acts almost like a deconstruction of superhero films, as well as how they are promoted. The problem is in 1980, the only major superhero film franchise was SUPERMAN, and 1980 was the year SUPERMAN II hit theaters. It also covers the idea that while the concept of spandex clad heroes fighting crime or saving people are easy thinks to mock or think are hokey, but many people would like to believe in the ideals that they uphold. The comic book version of "KICK-ASS" often is vile, full of pop culture, has many ethnically offensive gags and the main character often is unlikeable. John Ritter sells Nichols as a somewhat weird and earnest but still genuinely good man, swept up by the situation and the manipulation of others. Another interesting thing is compared to a lot of other comedies or even "realistic" superhero films, this film actually has a good degree of realism. While Nichols is an athletic man who keeps in good shape, he's not a martial artist nor an action hero; much of the film's middle is spent recovering from an injury, and the climax benefits from this sense of realism, that Nichols is not John McClane and can be hurt as easily as any of us.
Without spoiling anything, I will say this film benefits if you have not seen the theatrical trailer online, as it has many of the film's highlights and summarizes the whole thing. Even when watching it, this is not a film that has twists and turns; you can usually predict how things will go after ten or twenty minutes. That doesn't make it bad, though. The ending is quite positive and for a movie sometimes billed as a comedy, there are some genuinely suspenseful moments to the finale. Some of the most awkward bits actually revolve around the romance, which at times seems to reach certain points because the plot demands it. At one point it is mentioned that Nichols drives a cab part time, but this only comes into play when the movie needs a chase scene. It also is fun to look for NYC locations from 1980 and even to hear grocery story prices. Yes, in 1980, a six pack of beer could be had for $2.50.
"HERO AT LARGE" is perhaps not a forgotten Oscar contender, but it is a solid film that doesn't deserve to be missed, or even out of print. The message of the film is while good deed often doesn't go unpunished, they do matter and they are appreciated, even vital, to society. Cynical, opportunistic people should not discourage the genuinely good from acting, and this film covers that angle in spades. Check it out.