Intrepid reporter Mark Gilson is back with word on his final screening from the New York Asian Film Festival - the low budget Philipino nod to Spider-Man, Gagamboy.
So let's just preface this review with a statement: Gagamboy should not be seen by anyone who takes film seriously. A strange slapstick take on the Spider-Man legend by way of the Philippines, Gagamboy is definitely one for those who like their entertainment a little cheesy. From my understanding, that may be the entire Filipino population. A good friend of mine is married to a Filipina, and was telling me stories about how huge the band Air Supply still is over there.
This was the first Filipino film I've ever seen, and if anything it reminded me of a cross between an old Warner Brothers cartoon and a 70's Hong Kong Comedy. That may seem like an impossible combination, but what both of those genres hold in common is strong comedic acting. Jackie Chan mugging for the camera is every bit as funny as Bugs Bunny doing it, and the global appeal of both those characters is proof of that. Gagamboy also uses the score to set the mood in a fashion very similar to those classic 'toons, basically using audio to reinforce action for the biggest possible impact.
The entire production feels kind of out of the 70's, which true Spider-fans will remember as a kind of golden era for the hero on the small screen. We had the CBS TV series with it's funktastic soundtrack that I still wish someone would release on CD. In Japan, there was Toho's live action Supaidaaman, where our hero was not only Japanese, but had a sweet tricked out Spidermobile and a giant robot named Leopardon at his disposal. But the one Gagamboy most reminds me of is the Electric Company Spider-Man.
For international readers, the Electric Company was an educational show here in the States aimed at kids aged beyond the reach of Sesame Street. It's big appeal to everyone who remembers it were the Spider-Man segments (featuring the REAL Spidey, licensed from Marvel), made with the massive budget of an American public television show, i.e. nothing. Gagamboy has some passable CG, but not a lot more than those old Electric Company segments.
Instead of the hapless nerd Peter Parker, we get the hopeless nerd Junie, as played by newcomer (Gagamboy was released in 2003) Vhong Navarro. An innocent looking guy with a babyface that makes him instantly appealing. I could easily see Navarro becoming a major Filipino star. He definitely knows how to play to the camera in a manner similar to Asian heavyweights like Jackie Chan and Steven Chow.
Junie is an orphan with a slew of regular guy problems. He's a terminally nice guy who can't even keep his job drving an ice cream cart because he gives every kid in manila who can't afford it a free cone. He's got a nemesis, Dodoy, played by Jay Manalo, equally hapless, but lacking Junie's pure spirit. Then of course, we have the love interest, Liani, as played by Aubrey Miles.
Junie is hopelessly in love with Liani, but simply can't tell her how he feels. Dodoy is always there trying to steal her away. He's plagued with insecurities, and feels like he can't even honor the memories of his dead parents. What's a hapless guy to do? Gain super powers and take on a much larger than life personality, of course, which is exactly the route Gagamboy takes.
Conveniently enough, we see a spider and a cockroach get doused in toxic waste during the opening credits. Both show up at he warehouse where Junie and Dodoy work, and in a nice gross-out touch, wind up getting eaten by our respective hero and villain, and imparting them the powers of a spider and cockroach. Junie becomes Gagamboy, spider-like hero, and Dodoy becomes Ipisman, nasty cockroach villain in a pretty decent suit that reminded me equally of the Tick and sentai shows from Japan.
The story is pretty standard good guy vs. bad guy, boy gets girl kind of stuff. Navarro gets a lot of screen time mugging for the camera and doing physical comedy as he unravels his mysterious new powers. Gagamboy doesn't shoot webs per se, but can make web shapes and shoot web projectiles like one of those adhesive guns that cops use to control riots. This is achieved through a mix of forgettable CG, and a can of that toy slime you can get from gumball machines...you know, the stuff you're not supposed to get in your hair or on the carpet.
The cartoon influence is obvious and not at all concealed. Junie's shanty town is called Acmetown, and there's a secondary character who sports a Wile E. Coyote tattoo on his right shoulder for the camera.. And Junie and Dodoy's war to win the heart of Liani is right out of the Popeye-Olive Oyl-Bluto love triangle.
Unabashedly no-budget, Gagamboy is one of those films you discover and want to tell people about for no other reason than to share the madness. Like I said, this was my first Filipino film, but it struck me as VERY Filipino. Despite being primarily in Tagalog, there is a LOT of English spoken. So Gagamboy isn't exactly summer blockbuster fare, but it is definitely a fun escape. A popcorn movie, if you will, and I say pass the popcorn.
Review by Mark Gilson