Superheroes without super powers is a not exactly a novel approach, but you gotta be Batman to get a away with it – Batman is the world’s greatest detective with a disciplined regimen of self-control and a large fortune that accounts for all his toys and body armor and he has something of a death wish combined with a personal inner darkness.
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart) describe none of these attributes; they’re just (I’m guessing) former college roommates into justice and cosplay. So instead of failing the police academy –like anybody else in their position might do- these two made hero costumes and went outside to battle evil. To be fair, Dyna Girl is a competent inventor, but on the larger scale of superhumanity, these tw
o make Mystery Men look like the Justice League.
Despite all that, the two take their cheesefest into a local Akron 7-11 and stop an armed robbery with not a small amount of grace and … hannah. Their antics get caught on film, and soon they’re signed to a pro deal in the superhero big leagues of El Lay. If you’ve seen “The Boys,” it’s not dissimilar the interplay between genuine heroism and marketing. I suppose there’s a laugh or two here, but I mostly felt cheated when the major conflict becomes Dyna Girl’s spitefulness when Electra Woman becomes the undisputed face of the team.
Is this a good film? No. Not under any circumstances would you call it good. Is this a fun film? Sorta…? Occasionally…? Here’s the dealio—I think there was some good set-up for fun based on the premise of two generation slacker gals from urban Ohio making a name for themselves in the vigilante game with only the smallest traces of talent at their disposal. But they left a lot on the table. For instance, I think it would have been funny if they –say- prioritized saving the café that serves avocado toast over a bank heist. I’d have laughed myself silly over that choice. And this was supposed to be a comedy, right?
Based on a 1976Saturday morning line-up Sid and Marty Krofft filler segment in between mildly superior “placate-your-eight-year-old” offerings “Dr. Shrinker” and “Wonder Bug,” “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” combined a memorable theme song with highly forgettable entertainment. I remember the costumes being loud; that’s about it. At the end of the day, this film didn’t even have a memorable theme song like the Saturday morning 70s filler TV show did. Ladies, I’m impressed you turned –essentially- a podcast into a feature-length film, but the film ain’t great.
Two co-eds felt heroism in their bones
Yet battled rayguns with sticks and stones
With these two, I gotta say
Crime may not pay
But it beats the heck out of student loans
Not Rated, 81 Minutes
Director: Chris Marrs Piliero
Writer: Oh come now. It didn’t just write itself, did it?
Genre: Movies that write themselves
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: The camp obsessed
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The perpetually puzzled
