WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Earth. Humanity’s home. And as humans, our innate curiosity about whether we are alone in the universe has prompted many searches and methods of sending or receiving signals from space, to no avail. But, what if a signal came, a message, and warned of impending threat to the planet, that we would be provided the means to defend ourselves via gifts of advanced tech, and therefore one hero from Earth would train to become the planet’s champion! A decent interval since the message was received, the military has since trained Adam (Alan Ritchson) to be said champion once the gifts arrive. But unbeknownst to all of them, an unfortunate confluence of events is about to radically change their plans.
When initial circumstances bring together local cop Hagan (Burnie Burns) and three screw-ups–Herman (Colton Dunn), Woody (Gavin Free), and Zach (Michael Jones)–the arrival of the gifts is unceremoniously interrupted and the four find themselves in possession of the gifts, one each, that were intended to work as a single Power Suit. At first freaked out, then panicked, then clueless as to how to remove the pieces now attached to them, they involuntarily become the hope for Earth, Lazer Team. Adam and the military have no choice but to attempt to train them in only days to prepare for the fight that will determine Earth’s fate. What follows is a uncanny mess that finds a way to mold itself into a cohesive unit that will discover the teamwork, friendship, and fortitude to save humanity.
Next, my Mind:
Modern comedy, for this reviewer anyway, continually presents a challenge as so many efforts, whether mainstream or independent, tend to lean so heavily on gross-out or crude/crass humor as the foundation of content as opposed to just being offbeat and goofy. Director and co-writer Matt Hullum’s second feature length project, “Lazer Team”, while still containing a copious amount of PG-13 teen-based irreverence, manages to find some absolutely nutty, ridiculous, off-the-wall silliness that is very much laugh-inducing. And let’s face it, the mere concept of Earth being in the hands of four total losers who have to become saviors alone is chuckle-worthy, much less watching it actually unfold. Think of it as the indie arena’s answer to “Dumb & Dumber”, with smaller stars, less budget, but just as much raw insanity.
The zany combination of Burns’ cluelessly long-suffering, reluctant hero Hagan, Dunn’s amped up, but perpetually barfing Herman, Free’s stoner-hick-turned-genius Woody, and Jones’s typically ego-centric teen wonder Zach all mesh well together and produce more than their fair share of absurd, harebrained, hysterical, and slapstick moments. Though, this reviewer must point out that one of the more riotous moments involves the stunningly beautiful Alexandria DeBerry as Zach’s girlfriend Mindy who, once possessed by an alien mechanism, turns into a slyly manipulating pawn who delivers one awesome butt-whooping on Zach in one sequence. Add Ritchson’s Captain America-like Adam and a farcical final confrontation on a football field–game over.
In total, while still wishing the irreverent humor was less present, “Lazer Team” can still stand as a completely amusing, madcap departure from reality and does illustrate the efforts indie film is making to present material worthy of a more mainstream audience.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
