...cheesy fun is what you'll get. The jokes are corny, the puns are aplenty, the cameos are funny, and-when you least expect it-there are some very touching moments.
12 Reviews
"Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel" (2018): Superhero Send-Up Message Movie
jtncsmistad20 January 2021
Full disclosure. This lad is about as far from a superhero fan boy as it gets. Not a villainous vendetta of any variety. Just doesn't crease my cape is all.
Which brings us to the jokey genre satire "Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel", assumedly the first openly gay superhero flick ever made. If you're jonesin' for a journey through the Marvel Universe or the next dark dive into the "Batman" franchise, best quest elsewhere, comics crusaders. But if fun, farce and female impersonators floats your boa, then surge on. This alternative may play perfectly with your lifestyle.
Vincent Roth is the creative curator and star of "Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel". I talked with Roth about his off-beat homage to heroes on high.
Is Surge film's first openly gay superhero?
Yes, one of our tag lines, that actually came from a British news outlet is, "cinema's first out gay superhero." Some have said we could drop the "out" because there have not been any gay superheroes in the movies or on TV before Surge. The first gay superhero to show up in comics was in 1985, a character called Extrano in a DC comics title "The New Guardians," later followed in 1990 by the more known Marvel character Northstar of the comic book "Alpha Flight." However, there were no cinematic gay superheroes until Surge when the first movie, Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes, started screening in 2004 and then was released in distribution in 2006. After all these years, and 4 movies later, no one has identified a gay superhero in movies or TV before Surge.
"Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel" carries a message. Acceptance of who we are is, or should be, universal. Amidst all the comedic commotion, it clearly matters to you that this resonate in your film. Please share your thoughts in this regard.
When I was making the first Surge of Power movie, I wanted to distinguish the movie in two ways. First, I wanted to bring back campy fun of superheroes, a little bit in the spirit of the "Batman" Adam West TV show, which also led to our penchant for getting celebrities to do cameos in the Surge of Power movies. Second, if I was going to make a feature film, I wanted Surge to be gay, because, as noted earlier, there had not been a gay superhero movie, although I kept hearing genre fans asking for one. Over a decade later, Marvel stepped into the campy fray with its Deadpool movies with Ryan Reynolds and now DC Comics has followed up with their own campy superhero in the recent SHAZAM! movie. So, thankfully Surge's distinguishing feature is that he is the only openly gay lead in the movies. I found humor to be a good vehicle for mainstream audiences to enjoy gay characters, like the popular "Will and Grace" TV show that ran for 8 seasons and then was brought back for 3 more seasons. So, I felt a comedy would be a good way to introduce Surge to mainstream audiences. It seems to have worked, because we have 4 movies now - 2 feature films now in distribution and 2 short films currently screening (to the extent movies can screen during this pandemic) and I am now in pre-production for a 5th movie.
The tag line "Make a Difference Where You Can" is used throughout the Surge of Power movies. As you picked up, I am sending a message to genre fans in hopes that I inspire them to make a difference, which could express in various ways, but I hope on some occasions will look like tolerance, greater acceptance, or standing up for the underdog. These are well known concepts in the superhero genre. In fact, science fiction is already a landscape where people tend to have broader minds - they are contemplating super powers, space craft, alien life civilizations and time travel. So, I think genre fans are already more inclined to be accepting. My hope is that the Surge of Power movies will help mainstream audiences be even more accepting. Again, if I was going to put out a feature film, I wanted it to do something meaningful.
I was really encouraged by one aspect of your story in particular. So often in the motion picture industry the stock caricature of Christians is of prejudicial, intolerant, holier-than-thou mentally vacuous miscreants. I am a Christian. This does not describe me. Not even nearly. Your movie seems to go out of it's way to avoid this puzzling and abjectly demeaning stereotype. The phone call between father and son near the end of the film is an especially poignant example. Would you comment on this dynamic from a personal perspective?
I, too, am a church going Christian, which is why Gavin, Surge's alter ego, is shown subtly as a Christian in the first movie, Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes. Fans had regularly asked to see more about the Metal Master, and I noticed that villains seemed to be the focus at that time in superhero movies. People seemed to want to know why a villain turned evil and audiences seemed like they wanted to sympathize with the villains. So, for the sequel, I wanted to give fans what they wanted, and explore the Metal Master's background. Since Surge was already revealed as Christian, I had Metal Master be Jewish, and we get introduced to Hector Harris' homophobic parents, Helen Harris and Harold Harris, played by Linda Blair (The Exorcist) and Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century). I tried not to be preachy, but I wanted audiences to see how religion can harm families, and in Hector's case, harm society because Hector turned his family's rejection into a resentment he took out on society as Surge's nemesis, the Metal Master.
I think Linda Blair has the most powerful line in the movie when she, as Helen, says to her husband, Hector, "God made man, but man made religion," as Hector struggled with what his upbringing taught him about gay people. I recently heard someone say, "a spiritual person will do the right thing, regardless of what they are told, but a religious person will do what they are told, regardless of what the right thing is." Had I heard this when making Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel, I probably would have woven this into the dialogue. I think it's far too common that people cannot separate spiritual principles from what are obviously man-made conventions in religion. As a fellow Christian, you know we call this "discernment." Just as guns can do harm and do good, scripture can also be, and has been, weaponized by man giving biased interpretations of passages. In Revenge of the Sequel, I did not want to go down the path of Christianity, since Surge was already shown to be Christian, and I thought Islam was probably a bit too far down a political path than I wanted to go, so I decided Metal Master and his family would be Jewish. Since Judaism and Christianity are so similar, I thought the concept of religious based homophobia would still carry over to the audience.
I, myself, had a very accepting family when I came out and I enjoy a very accepting work environment, but I have seen many friends, classmates and coworkers have less positive environments. I have also seen how homophobia has affected many of them, translating into personal and relational issues in life. This is what I wanted to express in the Metal Master's character. I wanted the audience to see how Harold's and Helen's rejection of Hector had dire consequences - their son, Hector, turned into a supervillain terrorizing society time and again. I also felt this needed reconciliation to have a successful story arc for Hector. So, in the movie, Helen came around sooner, with Harold still struggling. As you noticed, toward the end of the film, Harold was moved enough by Helen's words that while he was still uncomfortable, he made a very big step in calling Hector after 20 years of not speaking. During that call, Harold invites Hector over for Passover, which in the Jewish community is a big sign of acceptance - those invited for Passover are considered family. This was a huge step for Harold, and this reconciliation is the story arc for Hector. Now, experiencing acceptance from his family, maybe Hector will give up his Metal Master life or do something good in the future.
Which brings us to the jokey genre satire "Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel", assumedly the first openly gay superhero flick ever made. If you're jonesin' for a journey through the Marvel Universe or the next dark dive into the "Batman" franchise, best quest elsewhere, comics crusaders. But if fun, farce and female impersonators floats your boa, then surge on. This alternative may play perfectly with your lifestyle.
Vincent Roth is the creative curator and star of "Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel". I talked with Roth about his off-beat homage to heroes on high.
Is Surge film's first openly gay superhero?
Yes, one of our tag lines, that actually came from a British news outlet is, "cinema's first out gay superhero." Some have said we could drop the "out" because there have not been any gay superheroes in the movies or on TV before Surge. The first gay superhero to show up in comics was in 1985, a character called Extrano in a DC comics title "The New Guardians," later followed in 1990 by the more known Marvel character Northstar of the comic book "Alpha Flight." However, there were no cinematic gay superheroes until Surge when the first movie, Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes, started screening in 2004 and then was released in distribution in 2006. After all these years, and 4 movies later, no one has identified a gay superhero in movies or TV before Surge.
"Surge of Power: Revenge of The Sequel" carries a message. Acceptance of who we are is, or should be, universal. Amidst all the comedic commotion, it clearly matters to you that this resonate in your film. Please share your thoughts in this regard.
When I was making the first Surge of Power movie, I wanted to distinguish the movie in two ways. First, I wanted to bring back campy fun of superheroes, a little bit in the spirit of the "Batman" Adam West TV show, which also led to our penchant for getting celebrities to do cameos in the Surge of Power movies. Second, if I was going to make a feature film, I wanted Surge to be gay, because, as noted earlier, there had not been a gay superhero movie, although I kept hearing genre fans asking for one. Over a decade later, Marvel stepped into the campy fray with its Deadpool movies with Ryan Reynolds and now DC Comics has followed up with their own campy superhero in the recent SHAZAM! movie. So, thankfully Surge's distinguishing feature is that he is the only openly gay lead in the movies. I found humor to be a good vehicle for mainstream audiences to enjoy gay characters, like the popular "Will and Grace" TV show that ran for 8 seasons and then was brought back for 3 more seasons. So, I felt a comedy would be a good way to introduce Surge to mainstream audiences. It seems to have worked, because we have 4 movies now - 2 feature films now in distribution and 2 short films currently screening (to the extent movies can screen during this pandemic) and I am now in pre-production for a 5th movie.
The tag line "Make a Difference Where You Can" is used throughout the Surge of Power movies. As you picked up, I am sending a message to genre fans in hopes that I inspire them to make a difference, which could express in various ways, but I hope on some occasions will look like tolerance, greater acceptance, or standing up for the underdog. These are well known concepts in the superhero genre. In fact, science fiction is already a landscape where people tend to have broader minds - they are contemplating super powers, space craft, alien life civilizations and time travel. So, I think genre fans are already more inclined to be accepting. My hope is that the Surge of Power movies will help mainstream audiences be even more accepting. Again, if I was going to put out a feature film, I wanted it to do something meaningful.
I was really encouraged by one aspect of your story in particular. So often in the motion picture industry the stock caricature of Christians is of prejudicial, intolerant, holier-than-thou mentally vacuous miscreants. I am a Christian. This does not describe me. Not even nearly. Your movie seems to go out of it's way to avoid this puzzling and abjectly demeaning stereotype. The phone call between father and son near the end of the film is an especially poignant example. Would you comment on this dynamic from a personal perspective?
I, too, am a church going Christian, which is why Gavin, Surge's alter ego, is shown subtly as a Christian in the first movie, Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes. Fans had regularly asked to see more about the Metal Master, and I noticed that villains seemed to be the focus at that time in superhero movies. People seemed to want to know why a villain turned evil and audiences seemed like they wanted to sympathize with the villains. So, for the sequel, I wanted to give fans what they wanted, and explore the Metal Master's background. Since Surge was already revealed as Christian, I had Metal Master be Jewish, and we get introduced to Hector Harris' homophobic parents, Helen Harris and Harold Harris, played by Linda Blair (The Exorcist) and Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century). I tried not to be preachy, but I wanted audiences to see how religion can harm families, and in Hector's case, harm society because Hector turned his family's rejection into a resentment he took out on society as Surge's nemesis, the Metal Master.
I think Linda Blair has the most powerful line in the movie when she, as Helen, says to her husband, Hector, "God made man, but man made religion," as Hector struggled with what his upbringing taught him about gay people. I recently heard someone say, "a spiritual person will do the right thing, regardless of what they are told, but a religious person will do what they are told, regardless of what the right thing is." Had I heard this when making Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel, I probably would have woven this into the dialogue. I think it's far too common that people cannot separate spiritual principles from what are obviously man-made conventions in religion. As a fellow Christian, you know we call this "discernment." Just as guns can do harm and do good, scripture can also be, and has been, weaponized by man giving biased interpretations of passages. In Revenge of the Sequel, I did not want to go down the path of Christianity, since Surge was already shown to be Christian, and I thought Islam was probably a bit too far down a political path than I wanted to go, so I decided Metal Master and his family would be Jewish. Since Judaism and Christianity are so similar, I thought the concept of religious based homophobia would still carry over to the audience.
I, myself, had a very accepting family when I came out and I enjoy a very accepting work environment, but I have seen many friends, classmates and coworkers have less positive environments. I have also seen how homophobia has affected many of them, translating into personal and relational issues in life. This is what I wanted to express in the Metal Master's character. I wanted the audience to see how Harold's and Helen's rejection of Hector had dire consequences - their son, Hector, turned into a supervillain terrorizing society time and again. I also felt this needed reconciliation to have a successful story arc for Hector. So, in the movie, Helen came around sooner, with Harold still struggling. As you noticed, toward the end of the film, Harold was moved enough by Helen's words that while he was still uncomfortable, he made a very big step in calling Hector after 20 years of not speaking. During that call, Harold invites Hector over for Passover, which in the Jewish community is a big sign of acceptance - those invited for Passover are considered family. This was a huge step for Harold, and this reconciliation is the story arc for Hector. Now, experiencing acceptance from his family, maybe Hector will give up his Metal Master life or do something good in the future.
It was painful to watch
sevenjetc2 June 2019
This movie looks like someone shot it with their phone. The sound quality is horrible at times and mostly hard to hear. The acting is so bad, especially the "helpful" trio. I can do a better green screen at home. The writing is especially unfunny, randomly referencing Star Trek or Doctor Who without involving an actual joke is reminiscent of especially unfunny episodes of The Big Bang Theory. I am a Star Trek fan, so seeing Nichelle Nichols credited at this "campy comedy" was what drawn me to it. Now I wonder how much did they pay her. Robert Picardo seems to be stuck in acting in fanfilms and low budget movies like this recently...poor guy. I regret wasting my Sunday morning on this.
Fun & Campy
Mustang9224 May 2018
good movie, fun to watch
rmq-9907116 January 2018
"Good Triumphs Over Evil"
junebug-6975022 April 2018
A passionate homage to the superhero genre. Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is filled with a great ensemble cast plus many cameos of genre stars (Eric Roberts was a highlight for me) and is sprinkled with good-hearted themes, and comedy all throughout. A nice indie offering.
Cult Classic!
bgianci-790-77254025 April 2018
Very fun! This has cult classic written all over it. The cast had lots to work with here in this very funny script by director-writer duo Antonio Lexerot and Vincent Roth. Lots of laughs and some great cameos by the likes of Lou Ferrigno, Lind Blair and Eric Roberts. I'm excited to see more from these guys
Reverent Irreverence
JenBLovesMovies29 April 2018
A superhero movie like no other. It's simultaneously an homage to the genre and irreverent as hell. I can get behind any movie in which the superhero turns to a drag queen for help. Eric Roberts is having a great time as the supervillain Augur. And, like all good superhero movies, you've got to watch to the end of the credits!
Don't take it too seriously and you'll have fun!
smallvoicefilms30 May 2018
With the abundance of blockbuster super-hero films dominating the box-office, it's refreshing to see a thoroughly comedic take on the genre! It's quite obviously a low-budget, b-grade film - but the cast & the filmmakers know that, and they do a solid job of delivering a camp, funny film, filled to the brim with a host of b-grade celebrity cameos (is there anything Eric Roberts isn't in?). Grab a couple of drinks, don't take it too seriously, and you'll have a blast watching this.
Silly and goofy...but fun!
hdmovies@aol.com10 May 2018
This film might not be for everyone, but if you like the low-budget, superhero comedy genre, then you're going to love it. Yes, it's a bit hokey and silly, but that's exactly why it is so much fun to follow this gay superhero who fights intolerance. The flick has heart!
Prepare for the laughter...
lynseyhmitchell31 October 2017
Sometimes, people say that sequels are disappointing, and sometimes they're right, but not this time! This was a comedy/superhero film on a whole new level! The laughs were great and the cast is fantastic. It's hard to find a superhero film with a difference, but this one definitely has it. To date, Surge remains the only openly gay superhero I've come across and Vincent Roth plays the part brilliantly. He's a superhero not quite like any other superhero, and that's just fine. He can fight evil just as well as anyone else. It's great to see this on our screens, and of course the silly humour just makes it. Together with John Venturini they create a great comedy duo that works great with the story. There are a few cheesy superhero clichés to top off the humour, like Surge's superhero car with his telephone TV, not to mention his superhero lines, eg. "The urge to surge." Even the costumes are great, stereotypical, but they are working it. The celebrity line up is also outstanding, good to see so many of them on our screens, including Linda Blair, who I still worship for her performance in "The Exorcist." Anyone with a sense of humour should have sore sides after watching this!
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