Must See Movie...

A Disappointing Continuation

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

It seems like barely a day goes by without Hollywood releasing a comic book movie of some kind. The popularity of Batman and Co. has never been higher and it's perfectly understandable that Tinseltown wants to cash in. But what if you're becoming bored of the same old stories told every year, with only a change in costume to differentiate between them? Fear not, for those of you that are feeling comic book fatigue, there is a new hero on the streets; and his name is Defendor. Defendor follows the story of Arthur Poppington, played by Woody Harrelson. Arthur is an average Joe by day, but at night he transforms into the costumed vigilante, Defendor. In fact, he doesn't so much transform, as pull on a black t-shirt with a makeshift 'D' made out of duct tape; with black eye makeup and a bicycle helmet finishing the look. It's a far cry from Batman, but it works perfectly.The story is actually pretty standard comic book fare, as Defendor decides to take on a notorious kingpin in an effort to clean up the streets. It isn't groundbreaking by any stretch, but it doesn't need to be because the character of Arthur/Defendor is so enthralling that you find yourself overlooking the slightly clichéd nature of the plot. The fact that Defendor is an extremely low budget crime fighter also allows for some great little touches- just watch how he uses lime juice in his quest against crime.At the heart of all this is Woody Harrelson's fantastic portrayal of Arthur; a man who clearly has some form of learning disability, even though it is never alluded to directly. Harrelson makes the viewer immediately sympathetic and, as the movie shifts from comedy to drama in the final third, he finds a depth to the character which isn't apparent from the beginning. Kat Dennings and Micheal Kelly provide ample support as a friendly prostitute and Arthur's best friend but this is clearly Harrelson's show; and he is having a ball.A sadly overlooked gem. Defendor is a welcome respite from the recent glut of super serious superheroes. A shift in tone towards the end provides the movie with a little more substance than originally thought and it is all the better for it.

Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson) is delusional and under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Park (Sandra Oh). At night, he fights crime as superhero Defendor. He has no real powers other than his home made weapons and his unbounded delusions. Angel (Kat Dennings) is a street kid that he rescues from crooked cop Chuck Dooney (Elias Koteas). He's after crime boss Captain Industry.It's a pretty good performance from Woody. Writer/director Peter Stebbings needs better cinematic style. It also needs more comedy. Kat Dennings should be perfect but she's not being maximized. Overall, I really like the concept but it needs better writing and better directions. The movie has a certain innocence that doesn't quite mesh with the darker material. There is a need to get a more consistent tone.

I'd never heard about this film until I'd watched Seth Rogen's 'Observe and Report' - a film which has the line, "I thought this was going to be funny, but actually it's kinda sad." That summed up Observe and Report and it also sums up Defendor.If you're looking at pictures from the film and you think Woody Harrelson looks kind of funny in his bowler hat and painted-on eye mask get-up, you could be mistaken for believing that this is the 'comedy' it's partly billed as. It's not comedy. It's also not fantasy, sci-fi or action.I would say Defendor is actually a drama. There are a few laughs (anyone who fights baddies armed only with wasps and lime juice is always going to raise a chuckle), but generally it's a character-focused piece about Arthur, who is a man with severe mental disabilities. He's also sick of being laughed at, so he becomes a 'heroic' crime-fighter by night called Defendor.I thought it was going to be funny, but it is actually quite sad. Defendor wants to do the right thing and is a genuinely nice guy. That's what adds the pathos when he's repeatedly beaten up or exploited by a working girl who he befriends.I thought this was a great movie - hardly feel-good, but deeper with more subtle, black humour; just don't expect a rip-roaring, action-packed, laugh-a-minute joyride.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

This movie is to Super what Super is to Kick-Ass.By that I mean it's totally different in almost every possible way, they just happen to share the concept of "normal guy tries being a super-hero." All three are VERY different movies.You can call this movie a "dark comedy," but I would also classify it as a straight "superhero movie." Just in this case, the superhero is mentally handicapped. Does that automatically make it a comedy? Not necessarily. About the end of Act I, I realized the movie works best if you just take it as face value- giving you laughs where they're inevitable, but also taking itself seriously enough to have a real emotional reaction. I can't really place a genre for this film.Positives: the movie is pretty original for a genre that's been done to death lately. The story itself is actually interesting, and though it's a completely unbelievable series of events, somehow they are portrayed in a realistic manner. To the point where you laugh at the absurdity, then realize "that might just work." Some of the performances are good- everyone skates a thin line in this movie- as if it's all how adults seem to a 10-year old. I think the term is "kid gloves." And though it's not a demanding genre, the cinematography was good too- not "in your face" gritty, but unglamorous enough to feel real.Negatives: The movie's tone is very hard to pin down for the first 35 minutes or so. Basically it's uncomfortable at first- you don't want to laugh at Harrelson because he's mentally handicapped (because that part of the movie is done straight, humorlessly). Unlike Super, which paints the protagonist as someone who's right all along (and should know better), Defendor doesn't know better, and we're not sure if he's on the right side or not for most of Act I. Think of Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory.The characters also make a few glaring "common sense" errors that really bugged me. Like, significant "a real person wouldn't do that" ones, where if they didn't happen the movie could have ended right there.Lastly, it doesn't help that the movie is misadvertized as a quasi-spoof of super-hero movies, or at least as a flat-out comedy. Once I let that go (again, end of Act I), it really pulled me in, but until then I was just irritated with it, simply because it wasn't matching my expectations.So if you think the movie looks interesting (or funny, even), definitely give it a shot. It's a charming story, but it's got some rough edges, and it's not for everyone.