'How I Became a Superhero' - Movie Review

If anyone follows this blog, they would be aware that I'm a fan of superhero movies. I've watched all the Marvel and DC movies (but not the many TV series), but I'm particularly intrigued by the independent efforts, recently "Archenemy," "Unknown Origins," and "Thunder Force." None of these were great, but the latter was particularly bad. My favourite twist on the whole superhero thing is still "Dakota Skye" - nobody's heard of it or seen it, but Dakota's "superpower" (she sees the truth in subtitles whenever anyone lies to her) doesn't help her and makes her horribly apathetic ... until she meets someone who never lies. It was such a small and clever idea ...

This is a French take on the superhero movie. I tend to think of the French movie industry as more down-to-earth than the English one (particularly Hollywood) so I was interested to see what they'd do with the idea. This doesn't really go as far afield as I'd hoped, but it was still a lot of fun.

Pio Marmaï stars as Moreau, a police officer handling superhero relations and superhero crimes in Paris. He initially seems obnoxious, sloppy, and a bit burnt-out. But as the movie progresses, we find out that he's a fairly decent guy who happens to know a lot of the influential superheroes around the city, some of whom also help him out with tips. He's given an intelligent new partner he doesn't want (and who doesn't want him), and between the aggravation she causes him (which forces him to be a bit better) and new events on the street (a new pseudo-drug that gives normal people temporary super powers - similarities to "Project: Power") he stumbles towards being a better person.

In the end this isn't all that far off the beaten track from the many previous superhero movies already available. On the other hand, it has several charming characters and a decent plot. I found it far more enjoyable than I had any right to expect - certainly more so than the three other superhero movies I named at the beginning of this review.

Postscript: "Attal" is an uncommon last name: the director of this movie is Douglas Attal. Is he related to French director/actor Yvan Attal who directed and acted in the movie I recently watched, "My Dog Stupid?" I can't tell. What about the producer Alain Attal ... who produced this movie? Seems likely.