Movie Review
The plots between these two movies are almost the same, but with one distinct difference - this movie is more entertaining. Unlike 2020's moody films that struggle with tone and ideas, How I Became a Superhero oozes charisma and relies on its wit and quirkiness.
The story essentially takes place in a world where superheroes and humans coexist. At the center of this is Gary Moreau, a none-too-pleased lone cop teamed up with Lt. Cecile Schaltzmann.
Their job together is simple, as they're tasked with uncovering a series of strange superhero-related deaths linked to an experimental drug hitting the market. It gives ordinary people super powers.
For the most part, the film plays like a gritty crime drama with two detectives exchanging ideas and sharp wits as they get to the bottom of what's going on.
Throwing a wrench in the works is a nice little twist in the middle, though. This suggests that one of the pair (which I won't reveal here for spoilers) actually has powers, but chooses to hide them due to a past tragedy.
Typical Superhero
It's typical superhero story material, but there's a real bootstrap feel to many of the film's set pieces.
It's not a grand action movie like a Marvel or DC movie, and instead director Douglas Attal takes us through the gritty reality of these different scenes.
Blown away stores look like the inside of a war zone as infantrymen caught in the crossfire cry and struggle to keep their cool. The camera follows the pair on the ground as they try to figure out what's going on.
When supers do appear, the powers on offer are typical bursts of production that we've seen many times before. Expect everything from telekinesis, fire and ice powers to name a few. However, How I Became a Superhero is less concerned with its powers and larger-than-life heroes and more concerned with keeping things grounded.
There's a lot of dialogue to chew on in this film, and some will undoubtedly go into it and be disappointed by the approach. However, the film does a really good job of capturing the right balance between crime drama and superhero film.
Drawbacks
How I Became a Superhero is not without its problems and the pace is a bit slow in the second half. All in all, this is a very enjoyable scam not to be taken too seriously.
In the age of superhero thrillers, it doesn't do enough to stand out, but it's certainly an enjoyable ensemble piece nonetheless.