All Superheroes Must Die (2013)

Just what I expected

Great Film overall

Fresh and Exciting

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I would really like someone to explain to me how The Avengers, a film as generic as they come, gets praised as one of the best films of all time whereas a film like this that pushes the boundaries of film and focuses on the human characters rather than a bunch of gorillas with powers gets so many reviews hating on it. I'm not one of those to go easy on a film because it has a low budget, I either like a film or I don't. And I really liked this one.Our 4 superheroes are kidnapped and stripped of their powers by Jokeresque villain Rickshaw and forced through a series of 'games' designed to crush their spirits and kill them. Not only is this very entertaining, especially listening to Rickshaw's monologues which never get old, it also packs more emotion into its short 70 minute run time than The Avengers was able to pack in nearly 3 hours (if it isn't obvious already, I found The Avengers to be overrated though by no means bad). It's the sense of hopelessness and dread that maintains your attention and morbid curiosity as you come to realise that these games are played by Rickshaw's rules and aren't designed to be won. If what I've said here interests you in the slightest then I advise you watch this film.The acting is generally very good with special mention needed to James Remar and Lucas Till who played their characters brilliantly. There were no real clichés as all of the characters felt like human people rather than superhuman stereotypes like you get in many superhero films. I would even go so far as to say this isn't really a superhero film, the world feels real and gritty and even the costumes look home-made. Clearly there was a very small budget for this film but it only shows in the occasional action scene in which there are no computer generated effects. For the most part it allows the film to maintain its very real gritty look but at times it does become noticeable. But given the constraints on this film, I believe it is forgivable and there are no film-breaking moments in my opinion.It was a real shame this film was so short as I would loved to have explored the characters deeper but thankfully this also means the film doesn't outstay its welcome and it generally feels tight and well-paced. For this though there should certainly be a price drop but that is hardly a fault of the film.I tip my hat to Jason Trost and look forward to seeing what else he can do with a larger budget and more time, I wish I could make movies like he can. The film is by no means perfect, but it captures a true humanity that many superhero films skip over (with the exception of Watchmen). If you don't need CGI and big explosions to have fun and appreciate small scale films with superb acting then see this film and you'll quickly be intrigued and drawn into this dark world full of pain, suffering and death.

Before judging this film too harshly, remember it was made on a tiny budget and in a handful of days. It's basically a glorified student film, and if I were marking it, I'd give it an A. It's an interesting concept and the acting, while mediocre, shows promise, especially that of Jason Trost and Sophie Merkley. There's an awesome scene where the bitchy journalist guy from "Never Been Kissed" is dressed up as Uncle Sam and is armed with a flamethrower. It's worth a watch if only for that scene. James Remar is pretty good I guess, although it's hard to tell when he's basically a cackling, moustache-twirling level of villain. But in any case, this movie is a solid effort from writer/director Jason Trost. I'm looking forward to seeing what he offers to the genre world in coming years.

***Contains small spoiler, but you'll only get it if you watch the first half, then you'll know who I'm referring to and blah blah blah***I'm very sorry to say this, it had nice action sequences, some places the script was fa-boo but that was more you played hard with the high-stakes card, it was AWESOME seeing Sean Whalen in it, BUT the characters back story/flashbacks did not mesh together. One person states that they trained so hard so that they could join the group, later in the film, during a back story/flashback, it shows this same person basically creating the group. INCONSISTENT! I LOVED the FP though, confused for a moment, then I'm giving the screen "rock on" hands! I also love dance dance revolution games AND wear an eye patch...not all the time, just whenever costumes are involved.

Every once and a while, I like to go on to IMBp to read the reviews of a particular movie I am about to watch. This was one of them. The question is do you like movies including specific or all genres, low-budget vs million dollar films, black and white vs color, new actors or familiar.....or maybe just to see what might be new? This is one of those movies.Take ASMD at face value and enjoy or not. The plot is not what you think and I'm not telling. Just the word "Superheroes" brings to mind years of comic books, comic strips, old attempts in film from Adam West and Steve Reeves to new attempts such as the X-Men: The First Class (I mention this one in that it was a good movie as a "stand alone" but nowhere near the beginnings of the original).All Superheroes Must Die provides us with early on works of film making. All the old Horror genre, that have now become classics would never stand up to the scrutiny of today's critics. Also, if this film you are about to see or have seen was made thirty years ago in grainy black and white, most critics....including us, would rate ASMD with a very different eye.I like new ideas, I like to be surprised, I enjoy watching a movie for my own pleasure and not to play a critical role. A bad movie simply jumps in front of us and we automatically flinch. The movie "buffs", like me, will attempt to role through the film with hardened fortitude with hope that it gets better. To test yours....try watching "Plaguers" made in 2008.At any rate, enjoy ASMD, I guarantee you will take away a new idea. ........Q(:-}