A few funny moments don't really make up for its lack of inspiration

Rating: 4/10 (21 February 2014)

The story and the comedy here are just a bit too much like "The Incredibles" -- this time it's Will Ferrell as a supervillain who's forced by the death of his rival (Brad Pitt) to first create, and ultimately, become, a superhero. I didn't see it in 3D, but on a flat screen the visual effects were interesting to look at, but not very inspiring or transporting. There's very little novelty in its fantasy world, just a sort of standard superhero, art-deco, Superman spoof type of thing.
"Space Dad" who looks and talks like Brando in the 1970s Salkind Brothers' version of "Superman" is a joke that's probably going to go over most viewer's heads, and really isn't all that funny for the geeks and old folks who remember. This is typical of the sort of third-generation feeling of the movie. We felt we've already seen these types of ironic superhero revisionist things before, and the film never stretches itself to provide anything but a farce of the very tired and worn conventions of superhero films.
There are a few funny scenes, and it should divert children.