Common Sense Media Review
Tiresome, generic spoof is all about crude humor.
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Superhero Movie
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 16 parent reviews
Parents say it's an acceptable choice for family viewing, particularly for tweens aged 9-12, as it maintains a balance of humor while avoiding excessive vulgarity. Many find it a decent spoof that, despite being less graphic than similar films, contains mild sexual innuendo and silliness that entertains older teens and young audiences alike, though opinions on its originality and depth vary significantly.
- acceptable for tweens
- mild humor
- decent spoof
- family viewing
- mixed opinions
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 26 kid reviews
Kids say that the film is a crude and hilarious spoof aimed primarily at older teens and up due to its strong language, sexual references, and slapstick violence, making it unsuitable for younger audiences. While some find it a funny parody that has its share of moments, others criticize it for its inappropriate content and compare it unfavorably to similar films.
- crude humor
- inappropriate content
- older teen audience
- funny spoof
- strong language
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Like so many movie superheroes before him, Rick Riker (Drake Bell) first appears as an awkward high school student mooning over a pretty blond classmate, Jill Johnson (Sara Paxton). Like Spider-Man, he's then bitten by a genetically engineered bug that grants him a name (here, a dragonfly) and is transformed from geeky to heroic -- sort of. In this spoof, Rick confronts many obstacles: the supervillain who wants to destroy the world (Christopher McDonald); the devoted, clueless aunt (Happy Days' Marion Ross); a randy uncle (Leslie Nielsen); a wannabe sidekick (Kevin Hart); and a bald mentor in a wheelchair (Tracy Morgan). As Rick seeks his purpose as a superhero, he learns to protect Empire City from harm, trust his loved ones and, at last, how to fly.
Is It Any Good?
A decidedly generic, obvious spoof, Craig Mazin's SUPERHERO MOVIE essentially strings together scenes from other movies, reconceived as fart and sex jokes. All the gags suffer from overkill; for example, when a flashback shows little Rick and his parents attacked by criminals, the child doesn't just witness mom and dad's deaths, as in Batman Begins -- instead, he accidentally shoots them dead himself. When, as in The X-Men, he visits Dr. Xavier's "School for the Non-Asian Gifted," he sees an assortment of "mutants," ranging from a 'roid-raged Barry Bonds (Sean Simms) to a big-bosomed (but frankly tired-looking) Invisible Woman (Pamela Anderson). And when his aunt dies, his uncle doesn't just mourn her -- he tries to hump her corpse in the coffin.
It may be that the golden age for spoofs is over. With The Daily Show making fun of the news and every movie genre skewered at least once already, the concept is too familiar to be funny or very insightful, especially when the jokes hover around bathroom accidents. But it may also be that too many recent spoofs have been lazy and cheap, and that another, more intelligent effort --along the lines of Scream -- could attract a current audience and have something to say about that audience's culture as well. This, however, is not that movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the "typical" superhero story elements that the movie mocks. What characters and plots twists do you recognized from other, "real" superhero movies? Why do you think these elements are repeated in so many superhero movies, comic books, and TV shows? Why do superhero stories have such lasting appeal? Families can also discuss how the movie uses girls and women as objects of humor. Is that kind of thing OK when it's being played for laughs? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 28, 2008
- On DVD or streaming : July 7, 2008
- Cast : Christopher McDonald , Drake Bell , Sara Paxton
- Director : Craig Mazin
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Dimension
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references and language.
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
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