In the ever-growing pantheon of low-powered, wannabe superheroes (“Mystery Men,” “The Specials,” etc.), there is a special place for the likes of Extreme Man, who’s only power is that shared by all of us, the power to dream of being better than we are, and the power to be obnoxious.
Not being a mild-mannered reporter working for a major metropolitan newspaper or a billionaire playboy, Extreme Man mostly loafs and plays cards until, alerted to the presence of a reanimated corpse eating people and otherwise acting out, he eventually gets around to doing something about it. Even then, his youthful sidekick, the straitjacketed Insane Boy ends up doing most of the work. (Being utterly disconnected from reality is helpful for launching careers in show business and politics; why not superheroics?)
Featuring imaginative character designs and appropriately high-energy movement from self-taught animator Webster Colcord, an aggressive thrash-punk soundtrack and some appropriately excessive violence, “Extreme Man and Insane Boy” drags a bit in places, but it’s funny when it needs to be and great-looking throughout. It does the job…which is more than you can say for Extreme Man.
