Starring: Grigory Dobrygin, Ekaterina Vilkova, Viktor Verzhbitskiy
Lets start with "Russian superhero movie". Was there any question about whether or not I was watching this? Hint ... that would be a no.
"Black Lightning" is an interesting movie. Visually, it's an American-style SciFi/Action movie cut from the same cloth as "The Dark Knight", "Underworld" or "Spiderman". Timur Bekmambetov, who directed the 2008 movie "Wanted", obviously learned the style well while in Hollywood. Maybe a little too well.
This is the story of 20-year old middle-class college student Dima. For his birthday, his father gives him an old used Volga which he soon discovers can fly. The old car is the by-product of a forgotten Russian energy experiment from decades before. At first, he uses it for profit but after a tragic event he soon dedicates himself to protecting the innocent.
Sound familiar? It should. This movie is pulled right straight out of "Spiderman". I swear, there are entire scenes lifted, translated for a flying car and plopped into "Black Lightning". All you'd need is the Russian equivalents of Uncle Ben, Mary Jane, Harry and Norman Osborne. Wait, they are in there ... nevermind.
That's not to say it's a bad movie at all. It's entertaining and well made, I just wish it showed a little more creativity and put more of a Russian stamp on the superhero genre. It was interesting that in American movies, generally, the individual is literally the one with the power. Even Iron Man is a creation of Tony Stark's mind. While in "Black Lightning", the power is an object that is basically a gift of the state without which he's just ordinary.
Don't expect anything ground breaking and you'll have fun watching this. I'm surprised, for once my curiosity didn't have me wondering if bashing my head against a wall would make me forget the previous 2 hours. Bonus!
-=>D
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