The Meteor Man
One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights. He can master the information in any book ... for about thirty seconds. Now his friends and family want him to protect their community from the dreaded Golden Lords.
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- Cast:
- Robert Townsend , Marla Gibbs , Eddie Griffin , Robert Guillaume , James Earl Jones , Don Cheadle , Sinbad
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Reviews
Good concept, poorly executed.
Don't Believe the Hype
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
I have METEOR MAN on video and I enjoy it a lot. BUt the film does have flaws. For instance, I know from reading IMDb's trivia on this film that a lot was cut out that could have made the film better, such as a story involving Meteor Man's relationship with his ex etc. Also, while there is certainly an impressive line-up of fine black performers, most of them are given thankless cameos, examples being Bill Cosby and the late Luther Vandross. Cosby appears as a homeless man who also has meteor power who ultimately helps Meteor Man in the end but he has no dialogue (No human dialogue anyway) and Vandross is an equally mute assistant to Batman's Frank Gorshin.These gripes aside, METEOR MAN is a great family film and very funny as well. Robert Townsend is great in the lead as the reluctant superhero and so is Eddie (UNDERCOVER BROTHER) Griffin as his best friend. Roy Fegan is a scene stealer as head villain Simon. Watch out for a not-famous-yet Don Cheadle as his number two. Tiny Lister appears as another member of the Golden Lords gang. He seems to be reprising his role of Zeus from the Hulk Hogan movie NO HOLDS BARRED as he's playing a muscle-bound freak who communicates with grunts and shrieks. IT's a shame though as Lister proved in films like FIFTH ELEMENT and POSSE that he was a capable actor.At times the movie does get too sentimental and I thought it was bit corny having one of the Meteor powers being the ability to talk to dogs. BUt it's a harmless enough picture and I give it a thumbs-up
Meteorman is a fun and entertaining comedy with some big laughs but it doesn't fully live up to the potential of its own great concept of a school teacher becoming an unlikely superhero.What stops it from being truly great is the large plot holes , mainly those concerning meteor mans powers, and the lack of detail in the story.Another negative factor is the films insistence on overbearingly sentimental and at times very corny .Also the ending isn't really satisfying and leaves a lot of question left unanswered .Still, its has it heart in the right place and has some first rate laugh out loud moments like the way meteor man fly's low because of his fear of heights and the montage showcasing all of his rejected costumes .Plus its good to see a black superhero on screen .Meteor man is an enjoyable comedy but if the script has a bit more detail , then it could gave been something more.
The movie began well enough. It had a fellow get hit by a glowing green meteorite, getting superpowers (telekinesis, x-ray vision, invulnerability, flight, the ability to speak to dogs, superspeed, heat vision, and the ability to make plants grow large and quickly), and fighting crime. From there on it's all downhill.Meteor Man gets a costume from his mom, fights with the resident gangs, and has many aborted encounters with the gang leaders which serves to set you up for the disappointing, overlong, and stupefying ending.It wouldn't be so remarkably bad if it weren't like watching a boxing match where the two fighters pretend to hit each other while the audience stands looking onward while the fighters just continue to dance.Despite all of this nonsense the movie has good points. It states clearly that if you try to take on a gang alone then they'll come back to your home and hurt you. It states that gangs & communities need to see their real enemies (the big bosses that use them for their own ends to crush honest people into a ghetto existence). It also states that people do not need superheroes if they are willing to work as a community do destroy the predators that harm them. The only message it really lacks is that the voters should ensure their elected officials (Rudolph Giuliani, Marion Barry, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, & George H.W. Bush) aren't crooks too.
One of the best "worst films I have ever seen". A flying superhero who hates heights, sporting a costume & cape made for him by his mum! Need I say more?