Review: SURGE OF POWER: REVENGE OF THE SEQUEL (2016), a low-budget superhero extravaganza
A movie like Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is made for a very specific kind of audience, the kind of viewers who enjoy their big screen stories as campy, ridiculous and self-aware as possible. But, considering the array of cameos featured in the movie, one could guess it’s also oriented towards those geeks who enjoy spending hours at Comic-Con, doing cosplay, and having pictures taken of themselves with their favourite C-grade “celebrities”. It’s a very limited audience, to be honest, but if the movie manages to find it, it could potentially turn into a cult classic.
As you might already be imagining, Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is not a “good” movie in the traditional sense of the word. Performances are extravagant, the special effects are atrocious, the plot nonexistent, and its characters are nothing more than two-dimensional caricatures. But that’s the whole point. Yes, jokes don’t always land, and yes, it can be quite juvenile at times, but no one decides to watch a picture with a title like Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel looking for something meaningful, profound, or even well-constructed. This is camp at its finest, full of cheap-looking costumes, absurd one-liners, and amateurish camerawork.
If you’re still not convinced, consider the amazing (or amazingly mediocre) line-up of “celebrity” cameos Antonio Lexerot and Vincent J. Roth managed to attract to their production: Lou Ferrigno, Larry Thomas (the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld), Rex Smith, Reb Brown, Nicholas Brendon, Dawn Wells, Walter Koenig, the late Richard Hatch, Borat's Ken Davitian, Murray Langston ("The Unknown Comic"), and Noel Neill and Jack Larson from the Adventures of Superman TV series, making their final appearance in film. And I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting a whole bunch of others.
But no matter because, even though these small cameos (and when I say small, I mean really brief in some cases) might be enough for some viewers to get interested in the picture, it fortunately has more going for it. No movie —no matter how “pulpy” or ridiculous it might be— can depend on its celebrity appearances to be successful. One needs certain elements, such as humor and charm, for a film of this kind to work.
Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is, believe it or not, the belated sequel of a movie few people have seen called Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes. It was released in 2006 and… that’s pretty much all I know about it. I haven’t seen it, but I have the feeling one doesn’t need to in order to enjoy this second instalment.
The movie tells the story of the first openly-gay super hero, Surge (played by co-writer Vincent J. Roth), who is struggling to defeat his arch-nemesis Metal Master (John Venturini). The latter has just been released from prison, and is angry about his parents (Gil Gerard and Linda Blair; yes, The Exorcist’s Linda Blair) having put him through conversion therapy (although they don’t seem to mind the fact that he’s a criminal mastermind… curious). He gets recruited as a henchman by the evil Augur (played by Eric Roberts, who, may I remind you, was once nominated for an Academy Award, and has been featured in movies such as Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight), who dispatches Metal Master to Las Vegas in order to obtain “Celinedionium" (har har), a mysterious element he intends to use for his own (obviously villainous) purposes.
The plot is nothing to write home about, but that’s no surprise. The movie might lack tension, wit, or even a bit of imagination, but it sure manages to entertain thanks to its unique blend of cheap effects and Halloween-grade costumes. Comic-Con goers might get some entertainment out of all this thanks to the surprising amount of guest appearances (did I mention that comedy writer Bruce Vilanch plays Surge’s on-car A.I., or that a supernatural saviour called Omen is played by both Nichelle Nichols and Roert Picardi, of Star Trek fame?), but more casual viewers will be surprised, disgusted, appalled and, from time to time, humoured by some of the wacky situations our characters get involved in. It’s all silly fun, as intended.
Performances are expectedly over-the-top, but most importantly, everyone seems to be having a good time. Roth is woodenly earnest as Surge, John Venturini plays Metal Master the way one would expect a character with that name to behave, and even Eric Roberts, who could easily (and righteously) give a workmanlike performance, surprisingly takes things seriously, giving his character a very palpable —and cartoony— energy. I just can’t help but laugh at Sal Maroni wearing what appears to be a tunic out of Manos! The Hands of Fate.
You either get what the team behind Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is trying to do, or you don’t, in the same way that you either laugh at the childish jokes, lame comebacks and random pop culture references, or you don’t. And you either have fun with all the C-grade “celebrities” making brief appearances in unexpected moments —some of them were even shot at Comic-Con, and are featured during the end credits—, and the film’s awfully cheap look, or you don’t. Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is not technically —or narratively— well-constructed, but Antonio Lexerot and Vincent J. Roth clearly had an amazing time making the picture, along with their eclectic cast. And if you think this kind of movie might interest you, then you’ll probably find its cheesy energy contagious while watching it.
