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Monday, April 16, 2012

Review: Griff the Invisible


Griff the Invisible (15)

Dir. Leon Ford

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Meet humble Griff - office worker by day, superhero by night!?

Griff the Invisible has all the hallmarks of a entry into the awesome genre of ‘home made superheroes’ populated by the excellent Kick Ass and Super… But does this new hero make the grade or is he a wannabe destined to be beaten to a pulp by angry viewers demanding more?

It’s your average tale of Griff (Ryan ‘True Blood’ Kwanten) – your everyday office worker, in an everyday town, his life isn’t all that, bullied by asshole co-worker Tony (Toby Schmitz) and with only his overly protective brother for a pal.

But in the tormented psych of young Griff – he has a secret identity which sees him roaming the dark streets protecting the innocent and the vulnerable from the dangers that lurk in the shadows - he is the hero, Griff the Invisible.

Increasingly concerned by Griff's eccentric behaviour, his brother (Patrick Brammall) attempts to draw him back into the 'real world'. In doing so he introduces Griff to Melody (Maeve Dermody) an equally eccentric and charming girl.

Fascinated by Griff's idiosyncrasies, which are equal only to her own, Melody begins to fall for Griff. As Griff is forced to face up to realities of a mundane world, it is up to Melody to help Griff for the sake of their love.

"wait - you're not Kick Ass?"

Griff the Invisible is actually less ‘super hero’ and more slightly lame romantic comedy and feels like bit of a missed opportunity from debut feature film writer / director Leon Ford.

As we know – with great power comes great responsibility but if you have no power you have to make up for it with wit, skill, courage or maybe a fortune to buy funky gadgets. Griff alas is no Batman (fortune / gadgets), Superman (powers) or even Kick Ass (wit and courage)… but he does take his superhero duty seriously as he says - "It's not a choice, it's a responsibility!"

Melody is a fair match for hapless Griff – it’s just a shame that this film gets bogged down in melodrama with a love triangle of Griff, Melody, and Tim which isn’t engaging. There are no climactic thrills here – Griff the Invisible is an OK quirky romance film at best – just not a very satisfying super-em-up!?


Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ΓΆΓΆ1/2


2.5 – underpowered and more than a little sloppy but interesting


"Maeve Dermody hits the beach"

2 comments:

Misha Bograshuv said...

I would give it around 3 to 4 because it's a good movie without a fancy cast but still deliver the story in a funny way.

Christopher Lindsay said...

Great line: "If you have no power you have to make up for it with wit, skill, courage or maybe a fortune to buy funky gadgets." Batman lives by that principle.

I actually found the romance in this film deeply impacting. Griff and Melody are meant for each other. An important theme in the film is that no matter how weird you are, there is someone out there just like you, who will love you.

I wrote a short post on Griff the Invisible called "Similarity Attraction Hypothesis." If you would like to read it, I am open to any helpful feedback: https://christopherjohnlindsay.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/griff-the-invisible/