Sparks

As independent films go, Sparks is pretty good. It is billed as a super-hero movie but don't expect it to be an effects-filled extravaganza. Cleverly it is set in the 1940s, so the supers don't need much in the way of powers to battle bad guys armed mostly with their fists and the odd baseball bat. In fact, most of the supers don't have any powers at all... just a mask and the guts to mix it a bit.

It is a dark film. Definitely not one for the kids. The hero gets put through the ringer and the villain is an insane bible-bashing serial killer.

SPOILERS

During the opening credits we see a meteor hit America and learn that all but 13 people exposed to its radiation died. These few, the Rochester 13, all gain different radiation-induced special abilities. At this point I assumed that Sparks was one of them... but he isn't.

Most of the film is Sparks recounting his story to a journalist whilst on the run accused of nine murders. We learn early on that his real name is Ian Sparks and his parents were killed when he was a child. He blames criminals for his parents death and decides to fight crime. Clearly Ian isn't a bright spark, because he decides to use the name Sparks as his super identity. Not that clever when he lives with his grandmother, who is killed when bad guys that Sparks has "put down" come back for revenge.

In fact, things don't go very well for Sparks for a long time. He gets beaten up a lot, but bounces back and trains hard. In one throw away comment he mentions that he heals pretty good. Is that a clue that he has some sort of healing power? (like Wolverine)

Things pick up when he manages to attach himself to female crime-fighter Lady Heavenly. Not very modestly named, or dressed. She doesn't have any super powers either... unless you count the ability to only take on thugs stupid enough to fall for her telegraphed back-kick every time.

Ian and The Lady become a couple and everything looks rosy until they take on serial killer Matanza. The killer brutalises The Lady, but doesn't kill her because she is rescued by her ex-boyfriend Sledge who kills Matanza. Everyone ridicules Sparks because he appears to have blacked out, leaving The Lady to the mercy of Matanza. She leaves him and goes back to Sledge.

Until now things have been quite dark, but Ian sinks into a deep depression and hangs himself. Just as his landlord is helping himself to the rent from Ian's wallet, the dangling Ian comes back to life with a gasp. Aha, so he does have healing powers. But if he isn't one of the Rochester 13 then where did his power come from?

Ian meets an ex-cop called Archer who explains how Ian's parents died and introduces him to two people with real super powers - Cain and Dawn. Cain can throw fireballs and Dawn can take on the appearance of anyone she has touched. Ian asks why they hide their powers and Cain says it is so they can go "where the real action is".

The next scenes are very interesting. Ian still thinks he has no powers. He helps Archer, Cain and Dawn to get revenge on another of the Rochester 13 who Archer claims was responsible for Ian's parents death. But this turns out to be a lie. Archer himself was ultimately to blame for the accident, and the "revenge" is simply a robbery. Ian is shocked to find out that the "heroes" with powers are really just out for themselves to make money.

We keep getting updated versions of Ian's parents death. Eventually we find out that their car was rammed into a train carrying tankers of experimental red liquid. This liquid has given Ian (and later we find Archer too) his healing powers.

Alone again Ian discovers Matanza's old lair and finds film footage which shows that he was shot in the head, he didn't black out, and also that Sledge was in league with Matanza. Finally Ian believes that he has powers. He sends the film to The Lady and asks to meet her.

When the Lady meets Ian she greets him warmly but then stabs him... before morphing into Matanza who it turns out is one of the Rochester 13 and faked his death at the hands of Sledge. Hiding Ian's body he waits for The Lady and then shoots her, disguised as Ian.

Of course, Ian isn't dead and goes after Matanza. He gets shot and thrown off a building by Sledge, who turns out to be Matanza's son and is also a shape-shifter. But when Sledge finds out that Matanza has killed the Lady he attacks him... and is killed.

This gives Ian enough time to recover and when Matanza comes for him he blows them both up with dynamite.

We see a finger twitching and a pool of blood soaking back into it.

This would have been a great place to finish the film. Can Sparks possibly recover from being blown to pieces? A bit of uncertainty and mystery at the end would have been good.

Instead we get two pointless scenes extra. In one Ian tracks down Archer to India and doesn't help him escape the lizard man. Then at the end we discover that The Lady isn't dead... and she and Ian get back together... ahhhh.

So, a few flaws, a low budget, but a good story I thought and well executed. I enjoyed it.