THE HYPERIONS (2022)

THE HYPERIONS (2022)

Tagline: The Most Magical Adventure Of The Year 

(Action, Comedy, An Eagle In An Astronaut Suit) [R]

In this one, we are taken back to 1960 when Ruckus Mandulbaum has 3 youths under his wing that he has awarded with a device called the “Titan badge”. The device renders its wearer with very particular powers which can then be used to engage in “missions” around the globe. These individuals are called Hyperions and they have become cultural icons. At some point, one of the girls named Vista becomes disillusioned with Mandelbaum and decides to leave the group. As a result, another Hyperion named Ansel leaves as well. We fast forward to 1979 and now Vista and Ansel want their “Titan badges” back. To get them, they have to rob the Hyperion Museum. 

First off, this movie really isn’t your typical DCU (DC Universe) or MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). This is more a quirky dry humor crime drama with a low-budget THE AVENGERS (1998), THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO (1966), retro Frank Lloyd Wright aesthetic in a blender, type movie. It has a decent pace and at 90 minutes they cram a good amount of story into this thing. We find out more about Vista than we found out about Black Widow in 4 or 5 movies. 

If you were expecting an edgy “THE BOYS” grit, then don’t watch this. There is blood, but I honestly have no idea how it got an ‘R” rating. There is nothing in this that would have fallen into the “R” category aside from maybe a few “gd” related profanity moments. Which by the way means you can’t write for crap. “Gd” is just not a normal expression you hear in everyday language unless you hang out with a bunch of people that have a minimal vocabulary.  Having said this movie, the use of even that chowderhead use of profanity is minimal. 

Acting-wise Penelope Mitchell does a great job as Vista. She’s wayward and headstrong but has a heart that ultimately catches up with her. We also get Cary Elwes who plays Ruckus Mandulbaum. Elwes is most famous for THE PRINCESS BRIDE and STRANGER THINGS, but if you thought he couldn’t really act, watch this movie. His interpretation and dating of this character to this movie’s setting are freaking incredible. Alphonso McAuley also does a solid job in this as Ansel. McAuley is best known for movies like GLORY ROAD and FAT ALBERT. Elaine Tan is also very good as Maya. Maya kind of takes on the “mother figure” role to any of the kids that end up being Hyperions so she plays a critical role in this film. She also has a pretty rad but familiar superpower. Elaine Tan as of this review has been in 48 different projects, but outside of the TV series DOCTOR WHO, I am not familiar with any of them. The rest of the cast is also pretty amazing right down to Ruckus Mandulbaum’s two publicity assistants. 

As much as I liked this thing, it is not without its flaws. Probably my favorite character in this movie is Ruckus Mandulbaum himself, but we also have a talking eagle with an astronaut suit on, and it never gets mentioned what the heck that’s all about. I mean, the character is rad, but there is zero context given. We also get some odd animated segments during parts of the movie where they clearly were not needed which added to the quirky vibe of this movie but not to the overall production. 

I have to give this movie a 5 out of 7, but I would have liked a bit more humor and less drama than we got. Secretly I am hoping they make another one, but I don’t think this movie went over nearly as well as some other films from the same studio.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF REKON PRODUCTIONS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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