Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel Blu Ray Review (Indie Rights)

Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel is a 2016 independent superhero film written, produced, & directed by Antonio Lexerot (Crash Pad, Surge of Power: Big City Chronicles, & Anthill Improv) & star, music supervisor, & production manager Vincent J. Roth. It’s a follow up to 2004’s Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes & it’s followed by 2017’s TV series Surge of Power: Big City Chronicles. This is the first openly gay superhero to appear on the big screen. It was made on an estimated $200,000 budget & it had a limited theatrical run. Surge (played by: Vincent J. Roth from Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes & Surge of Power: Big City Chronicles) is back with more adventure in this sequel to The Stuff of Heroes. The Metal Master (played by: John Venturini from Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes) is out of jail in Big City. They were overcrowded so he got released early. He wants to connect with his estranged parents Harold (played by: Gil Gerard from The Nice Guys, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, & Airport ’77) & Helen (played by: Linda Blair from The Exorcist, Savage Streets, Hell Night, & Chained Heat) Harris. He’s trying to make a fresh start after serving his time. That’s until bad influence & super villain Augur (played by: Eric Roberts from The Dark Knight, Heroes, Runaway Train, & Best of the Best 1/2) gives him a special mission. The troublesome nemesis of Surge is ready to cause more problems for the ambitious hero. Veteran superhero Omen (played by: Nichelle Nichols from Star Trek TV series/Films, Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man The Animated Series, & Heroes) was the mentor for Surge & her arch enemy was Augur. The Surgemobile includes help from both M.A.V.I.S. (played by: Shannon Farnon from Super Friends) & S.I.R.I.U.S. (played by: Bruce Vilanch from Hollywood Squares & The Ice Pirates)! Surge gets additional help from Wendy (played by: Mariann Gavelo from Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation), Marvin (played by: Michael Diamond), & Todd (played by: Sean Rogers) to investigate these powerful evil forces joining together. Las Vegas headliner Frank Marino (played by: himself from The Super Man & Miss Congeniality 2) gives the heroes some useful information to stop the dangerous Metal Master. Omen (played by: Robert Picardo from Star Trek: Voyager, Justice League TV Series, The Howling, 976-EVIL, & Gremlins 2) appears in male form to confront Augur. His diabolical intentions & the clash between both sides cause others to step out from the shadows. The Council, a league of retired super villains which include Star (played by: Reb Brown from Captain America (79), Captain America II: Death Too Soon, Yor, Howling II, & Sssssss), Diamond (played by: Carl Ciarfalio from The Fantastic Four (94) & Casino), Spade (played by: Joseph Culp from The Fantastic Four (94) & Mad Men), Cross (played by: Jay Underwood from The Fantastic Four (94), The Nurse, & Sleepstalker), Club (played by: Alex Hyde-White from The Fantastic Four (94), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, & The Phantom of the Opera), Heart (played by: Rebecca Staab from The Fantastic Four (94) & Port Charles), Ion (played by: Lou Ferrigno from The Incredible Hulk, Hercules, & Sinbad of the Seven Seas), Moon (played by: Eric Allan Kramer from The Incredible Hulk Returns, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, True Romance, & Robin Hood: Men in Tights), & Cube (played by: Rex Smith from The Trial of the Incredible Hulk & Transformations). Omen’s vigilant team of superheroes join this battle between the unique characters trying to change the outcome!!!!

I’ve seen damn near every comic book related movie ever made & this one is truly unique. It definitely stands out from all the others & I’ve never seen anything like it before. The dialogue is full of references to past & current comics. I thought that was a fun addition to this. It was also really silly so it had a good amount of comedy added to the mix. Revenge of the Sequel is very low budget production but it makes up for it with the impressive amount of cameos & solid cast it has. It features familiar faces like Karan Ashley (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ken Davitian (Get Smart), Deborah Dutch (Hard to Die), Kathy Garver (Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends), Rebecca Holden (Knight Rider), Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Battlestar Galactica), Walter Koenig (Star Trek), Jack Larson (Adventures of Superman), Eddie Mekka (Laverne & Shirley), Paul McGann (Alien 3), Noel Neill (Superman 1948), John Newton (Superboy), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Austin St. John (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Larry Thomas (Seinfeld), Austin Stoker (Assault on Precinct 13), Dawn Wells (Gilligan’s Island), & Francine York (The Doll Squad)! Eric Roberts was my favorite thing about this whole feature. He just hammed it up & he went completely over the top for his character. My biggest complaint is that I wish it spent more time with the heroes & villains actually fighting. It would have been nice to see everyone use their powers. A few of them only got introduced way too late into this so you didn’t see much of them at all. Most of them remain a mystery so I hope if they make another sequel it will feature them in bigger roles compared to this. I can see this being a love it or hate it type of film to most people. If you are opened minded then there’s a good chance you would enjoy this for what it is. If you are looking for a different kind of superhero you might want to give this a try.

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation on this BD-R from Surge of Power Enterprises. The 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is solid for being an independent low budget feature. It actually might be even a little better than it should be because the low quality visual effects are more obvious in something like this. The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track does it’s job & provides a decent balance for the movie. The score & soundtrack are the highlight from it. It also includes English & Spanish subtitles. Next up, let’s discuss the special features on this Indie Rights release. First off, you get the trailer for this. Almost 8 minutes of “Deleted Scenes”. It features 5 different scenes not used (or atleast extended) in the movie. The almost 20 minute “Behind the Scenes” featurette covers the motivations for a sequel, all the crazy cameos in this, & locations. The cast & crew chat about the production. They mention the people who worked on this that passed away also. The almost 15 minute “Big City Chronicles Episodes” which includes 3 from the web series. Episode 1 “What is Surge of Power?” It goes over the Big City Chronicles concept, Episode 4 “Surge meets June Lockhart” it has an interview with the Lost in Space star, & Episode 15 “Audience Reactions” has comments from people who have seen the movie. Almost 4 minute “Surge 3 Sneak Peek” which features the great Nichelle Nichols. It’s available at MovieZyng.com right now!!!!

You can buy right now @ https://www.moviezyng.com/810162031800.aspx#!