First of all, I don't think this movie would exist without the current Marvel and DC movie craze, it needs those as a foundation to riff off of. Yet, I think it's more interesting than anything those two have released. I find myself so bored with the rehashing continually on the part of both of those, Marvel especially, that I can't remember which ones I've seen or haven't and what happened in what movies... it's all a blur.
Meanwhile I'm convinced that the reason ASHMD got terrible reviews (according to their Wikipedia page) is because it didn't deliver a package at all similar to what those big box office films do. Did anybody notice the budget of $20K???? Unbelievable what it accomplished with that.
Let's do some math... take the 2012 release of The Avengers for example. 143 minutes of movie with a budget of 220 MILLION. So the outcome is about 1.5 million per one minute of movie. That one minute of Avengers could pay for ASHMD 76 times and still have beer money left over for the cast and crew. (You'd think for the big budget movies they could at least pay somebody to write a decent script *jab*jab*). Okay, so next time somebody is shitty about a movie, also take a look at what they had work with. Or, don't. Up to you. To me, it matters.
So, it's about a team of heroes that face off against an arch villain who's taken their powers and put them in a sort of running man situation. But, it's rigged against them and there's no way to save everybody. It gets kind of brutal and the practical effects are not bad. The sets are not bad. The acting, while it has a made-for-tv vibe, is not bad. The script, while it kind of reminds me of a high school movie project in a few regards, is actually not too bad. The costumes are not bad. Actually, they're fun.
I was expecting something along the lines of Mystery Men or maybe Watchmen when I sat down to watch ASHMD, but I knew nothing about it. So, at first I was a little bummed, but I got into it. There is a type of catharsis that comes from watching the heroes get their asses kicked, have to experience a real pain and loss and even lose saving the innocents. There were also a few twists that surprised me. And I liked the team dynamics. Even though, I would have a hard time believing any in ASHMD could face off against a team of Marvel/DC peeps. Instead they reminded me of what I'd hoped White Wolf's Aberrant ttrpg would provide, something as much human as hero and actually vulnerable.
The pacing moves right along at a consistent clip. And I've read there's a sequel, and guess what? I'd like to try and see it. It's probably cool.
Okay.... if you enjoy the indie low budget movie, give this a shot. It's interesting and unique (and way way way better than Shadows and Lies :-D). If you have no patience for that and need the big budget special effects, you'd be better to skip this one. That's the bottom line. I was pleasantly impressed.
