Good for the genre, but where was Goth Guy?

Rating: 7/10 (27 June 2006)

Of the numerous comic book heroes that have been adapted for the big screen lately, I found this one possibly the best. Admittedly by their very nature, attempts to adapt youthful fantasy into live action film is a venture fraught with peril. The "take it or leave it" finality of live action that won't insult the images formed by us early on is surely difficult for any production team to pull off. And lets face it. Stan Lee is to comics-books what Tolkien was to high fantasy. In a wise move, Stan Lee himself was there to lend his own touch to the finished product, a move which is probably responsible for the ease with which I was able to accept the characters. The special effects were fine, with no inconsistencies glaring enough to yank me out of the story-line.
I was however quite disappointed to have found the "Goth Guy" scene gone from the final cut (or at least the one I saw here in Canada). I had heard somewhere that Preston Peet was "a sight to behold!"....and certainly one I was looking forward to seeing, judging by the description given me. It sounds to me like it should have stayed in the final cut, so hopefully it'll be returned in some future CD/DVD release? Maybe just as an out-take perhaps?