Ever see the promo poster for a local comic convention with the stars showing up for autographs and ponder why aren’t they in a movie. Why can’t there be a film that gives us Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek), Eric Roberts (Star 80) and Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk)? Back in 2004, audience were treated to Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes which introduced us to an openly gay superhero named Surge. He had to battle Metal Master, the man who invented his power. The film gained a bit of a following with it’s Love Boat worthy cameos that included Forrest J. Ackerman, Marty Krofft, Bernard Fox, Lisa Loring, Rose Marie, and Butch Patrick. After 14 years Metal Master has paid his debt to society and has returned. But has he really retired from the super villain business? Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel brings back the super, charm and the amazing cameos.
Years after their big confrontation and time in prison, Metal Master (John T. Venturini) thinks he can return home. But things don’t go well since his parents (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century‘s Gil Gerard and The Exorcist‘s Linda Blair) are mixed on their son. They have not problem with him being a villain, but his being gay is not acceptable. This leads him into the employment of Eric Roberts (having fun with his role in The Dark Knight). But he can’t return to a life of crime without Surge (Vincent J. Roth) on his tail. Is Las Vegas big enough to handle this second confrontation between the two former friends?
The movie is once more loaded with cameos of various levels. Surge’s car features Bruce Vilanch (Hollywood Squares) and Shannon Farnon (Wonder Woman on SuperFriends!). Nichelle Nichols returns along with Robert Picardo of Star Trek: Voyager. They even landed Larry Thomas, the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld.
The film has the production values of a SyFy channel original film which adds to the fun. There’s a labor of love value on the screen that the big part of the process. You get a sense that directors Antonio Lexerot & Vincent J. Roth wanted to make a film with as many of the stars they idolized. It’s just goofy enough with the major cameos making it entertaining. I won’t even list all the familiar faces so you can be surprised.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the cheesy nature in the special effects. This is a superhero film that doesn’t take itself as serious as Justice League. The audio is DTS-HD Stereo. The levels are fine for a film that didn’t cost as much as the microphone rentals on Ant-Man.
Bonus features include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurette, Big City Chronicles episodes, “Surge 3” sneak peek and trailer.
Indie Rights presents Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel. Directed by: Vincent J. Roth & Antonio Lexerot. Screenplay by: Vincent J. Roth, John T. Venturini, Antonio Lexerot. Starring: Vincent J. Roth, John Venturini, Eric Roberts, Linda Blair, Frank Marino & Lou Ferrigno. Rated: PG-13. Running Time: 90 minutes. Released: April 24, 2018.
