Surge Of Power: Revenge Of The Sequel

What does it mean to be a superhero? Good versus evil is an epic battle. We must all do our bit, stresses boss level superhero Omen (Nichelle Nichols, 85 and still looking stunning), but for those with actual powers, that responsibility can be exhausting. How does one manage to fit in a personal life as well? As hero Surge (Vincent J Roth) tries to deal with the consequences of his arch nemesis Metal Master (John Venturini) being released from prison, he also has a budding romance to handle, and everybody seems to be telling him that the latter is more important.

Things aren't easy for Metal Master either. Vain attempts to poison our hero aside, he's tying to give up his life of crime, and even tells his mother as much, but she informs him that until he gives up "that other lifestyle" his father still won't acknowledge his existence. Struggling to get work, he accepts the lowly role of henchman to higher level supervillain Augur (Eric Roberts), who has a plan that could put the whole world in jeopardy. It involves mysterious crystal celinedionium and the creation of rhythmic vibrations atop the Hoover Dam. Can Surge uncover it in time and save the day, whilst still finding time to go out on the town in Vegas with his new paramour?

More in the vein of Mystery Men and The Return Of Captain Invincible than Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, this film makes no attempt at epic battle scenes or high production values. It's a joyous low budget romp with an honesty and good-naturedness about it that prove highly endearing. The transplantation of comic book tradition into the contemporary gay scene works surprisingly well, with a community that is used to stories in which former bullies make life changing decisions and achieve redemption all too ready to argue for the rights of repeat offending supervillains. A framing device involving a shop owner pitching the comic to a customer seems rather extraneous and the central plot isn't all that tight, but there's enough happening to hold viewer attention and the film works fairly well ass a series of sketches.

Supporting this is a series of cameos, some from celebrities like Linda Blair, Walter Koenig, Lou Ferrigno and Paul McGann, others from well known figures in the international LGBT community. There's by now inevitable material from Comic Con, and animated sections and the occasional Zapuva! (the films' version of Kapow!) add to the comic book vibe. Directors Antonio Lexerot and Roth make plentiful use of bright primary colours and desert landscapes that will be familiar to genre fans.

The camp elements in the film are never used as cover for lazy writing or expected to entertain without substance, and although it's a bit scattershot there's some good comedy along the way. Overall, the film is lightweight but entertaining and rather sweet.