Movie Review - Captain Black
Meet Mike (Jeffrey Johnson), a mild mannered restaurant manager who is admittedly stuck in a rut. One day an employee leaves behind a bag full of comics, including one of the superhero Captain Black. Mike becomes enthused with Captain Black and his sexy cohort Kitt Vixen. On the horizon is the mother of Halloween parties and Mike, emboldened by the mantra of Captain Black " Be your own ally", steps out of his shell and attends the function. Unbeknownst to him, Mike, in his homemade costume as Captain Black meets a reveler dressed as Kitt Vixen (Georgia Newman). Mike's dream (or rather fantasy) has come true as Captain Black and Kitt Vixen have a one night stand leading to some extremely predictable though unintended consequences of their tryst. Shaken to the core, Mike now questions every facet of his life, while managing the new realities ahead.
To put it simply, Captain Black is a more dramatic, less comedic version of the 2007 film 'Knocked Up'. However, following Mike's mundane and empty existence around for nearly 90 minutes felt like a chore than a want to complete the story. Mike sputters through life as a lonely, but well meaning middle aged man, blissfully unaware of how to adult. Surely some will find Mike's man-childishness endearing, but overall it left me wanting Captain Black's motto of "Be your own ally" to be changed to "Get your shit together dude"! My may seem unsympathetic to some but, there's an underlying recklessness to Mike that seems to go unexplored. Mike makes every bad decision possible throughout the film. The film's sympathetic tone toward Mike's naive nature, grows more infuriating as the film progresses.
Though the overwhelming majority of the film is an unlikable slog, Captain Black is a pretty well directed film. Written, directed and starring Jeffrey Johnson, his portrayal of Mike is fairly well done, with some good performances from the rest of the cast however, the film is hindered by a weak script, featuring an unlikable protagonist.
Verdict: D
Unrated @ 86 minutes
NOTE: The film will make its world premiere at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival.
