Okay, superhero flicks are my weakness. I love Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Incredibles, even throw me 2nd tier heroes like Blade, Ghost Rider, and whatnot. But when the MMFF comes around every year, there's usually some Pinoy superheroes that are in the mix... too bad most of the actual movies sucked. Lastikman, Captain Barbell, Fantastic Man... another crappy Lastikman... it seemed to get worse every year. So when I heard about Super Noypi for this year’s film fest, I was very skeptical. I didn’t even plan on watching it at all! Shake, Rattle, & Roll 8 and Ligalig were entertaining, but the next movie I wanted to see was Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo because of some good buzz. And wouldn’t you know it, the movie was sold out by the time me, my bro, and mom got to Gateway Cinema. I didn’t want to watch another Mano Po, my brother already watched Zsa Zsa Zaturna and he walked out of Enteng Kabisote, my mom despised Matakot Ka Sa Karma, and Tatlong Baraha just looked like crap to me. So we gave Super Noypi a shot, and I’m happy I did! I got entertained by an above-average superhero flick, and that’s a rarity in Philippine Cinema. Here’s what I liked and didn’t like about the movie:

The Right:
Okay, so one of the things the movie had going for it was its cast of hot kapuso and kapamilya young talents. The ones that worked for me were Mark Herras as the telekenetic leader, Jennylyn Mercado as the 2075 time-traveling rebel, and John Prats as Nightcrawl.... I mean, uh the blue aswang. I’ve never seen Jen do an action-packed role like this, and her performance was solid. Mark was good as the leader of the group, and John as the comic relief, which he does so naturally. Oh, and MABUHAY si Jao Mapa for getting a role! Even if I don’t know what the hell his powers are. Another thing I liked was Mark freezing rain and sending the ice shards towards the villain... it could’ve looked better, but I like the idea. Oh and you can’t go wrong with Sandwich singing the Super Noypi theme song.

puRgatory:
Ok, the effects were good, but not great. I wish Philippine special effects were on par with that of Korea or Japan, but I guess budget and technological constrains are to blame for this, cause’ I know Filipinos are some of the most creative people on this planet. Some effects I applaud for the visual impact (Futuristic Metro Manila, Aswang-lady engulfed in flames, invisible Katrina Hallilli), most fell flat or average (flying scenes, spellcasting effects)... they make you think ‘pang-TV lang ba ‘to?’ Oh, and I have to put Katrina Hallili (invisible girl) here, as her performance was average at best. I just couldn’t buy her as the team’s resident genius. Oh, and I feel a little ripped off that the heroes were only in costume in the end (Katrina not at all!), but it’s acceptable as this was their first mission.

The wRong:
Originality! Every character was a rip-off of a famous hero, in terms of powers at least. But hey, it’s forgivable since it seems every superpower has been exhausted already. And Lastikman, Darna, and Captain Barbell are actually all rip-offs as well. I also put in this section the members of the cast who I abhorred: Sandara Park is SO annoying as the fire/ice sorceress, and Polo Ravales (as the spellcaster) CANNOT act if his life depended on it. Huge miscasting here, I absolutely did not care for their characters. Oh and one particular thing I HATED about the movie was that (SPOILER WARNING!): the heroes KILL the villains as if it was the only option. Superman would NEVER kill a villain unless he had to, it’s what being a hero is all about. Another problem was the dialogue, as almost none of the conversations in this movie sound life like... but it’s a superhero flick, so I guess I can forgive that.

The veRdict:
Super Noypi is NOT PERFECT by far. There are tons of flaws, and a lot of scenes that needed to be edited out (like the flying scene where the heroes get wings). It’s one of those movies where you go ‘Sayang, astig sana, pero kulang sa execution.’ The plot is ok, but leaves too many loop holes and questions to be asked. Where did their parent’s powers originate? Why do the villains live until 2075? Do the heroes have secret identities? How did the parent’s hide it from their children? Where did they get funding for a sleek jet and hi-tech base? Anyway, I like this movie for simply being a competent Filipino Superhero flick. Leave your over-analytical brain by the ticket booth and absorb the energy of this young cast, average story, and (may visual effort na) special effects. Hope the sequel will have a tighter story, cooler effects, and hopefully a replacement for Polo and Sandara. Super Noypi, ayos!