WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Ah, to be a kid! To have little to no responsibility, sleep in until noon, play video games all day, enjoy hanging with friends without a true care to be concerned about–oh, and perhaps utilizing that vibrant, energetic exuberant attitude to, I don’t know, save the world?? Hotshot, hat-with-flames-wearing Section 62 agent Jayden Hill (Ben Edwards) has an idea. To throw off the bad guys, he desires to recruit and train a new batch of teenage agents, the kind no one would expect or see coming. Despite his boss Agent Harrison’s (John H. Euber) hesitations, the plan is greenlit and Jayden sets off to make it happen, choosing his own residence as base of operations and training center.
Soon having two fresh-faced candidates, Kyle (Jeremy Behie) and Trevor (Daniel Main), under his command and tutelage, Jayden shares teaching and training duties with his best friend Mark (Taylor Dahl) along with a trio of rather–eccentric–educators including neurotic math instructor Brandon (William Kenny), off-the-wall literature teacher Rachelle (April Walterscheid), and distinctly hot history guide Diane (Aiyana Irwin). With the more nerdy Kyle trying to study seriously and the cavalier Trevor causing trouble, it becomes more than a challenge for Jayden and staff to maintain order. However, things get shaken up upon the arrival of a third enlistee named Lindsey (Brooke Barker) which helps focus the boy’s attention.
Soon, with nicknames established and their indoctrination into becoming agents in place, all of them then face the devious machinations of the villainous Dr. Fantom (Calion Maston) and his plan to unleash a virus that only a trip to the past can prevent from destroying the world.
Next, my Mind:
A mash-up of action/adventure, comedy, and a little infusion of sci-fi that mainly aims to stay within the more overall family-friendly vein of cinematic efforts such as “Agent Cody Banks” & “Spy Kids”, this new indie feature film project from writer/director/editor Clay Moffat and storywriter Mackenzie Clark carries that same air of purposeful, entertainingly silly campiness while providing solid characters, decent writing, well-grounded acting, passable SFX, and positive underlying life lesson sentiments that form the greater whole meant for a teen audience while remaining accessible to adults as well. The first of a proposed trilogy according to Moffat, the narrative stays nice and uncomplicated in telling the tale of one secret government agency and the all-star, yet somewhat unorthodox, agent who wants to see the face of it all change for the better in their battle against evil. With Agent Hill’s choice to employ teens as a new line of defense, the story is then free to begin its humorous explorations of the facets of two kids thrust into a much more mature state of existence than should really be expected, navigating it all with a combination of curiosity, teen overconfidence in initially trying to outdo one another, the jock vs. nerd dichotomy, the inevitable “we’re invincible and can do anything” temperament, and rebellion (albeit playful and mischievous) against authority, culminating into an ultimately unified front that comes from working differences out and realizing that sometimes, teamwork is much better than flying solo.
Plus there’s the wonderfully cute girl agent in the mix to bring a much-needed sense of balance to the intentionally raging testosterone-fest occurring. Also, there’s a phrase/concept portrayed, advising to “live for the moments that can change everything”, and honestly, that’s a truth this world could stand to learn and enact more often, so it adds that positive tone to the proceedings. As hinted above, the special effects work well enough to make the impact necessary for the story to carry forward, even if some of them are still a little rough around the edges. But, this is indie film, and to grievously fault any kind of technical aspect, for this reviewer anyway, would be to take away what’s more important overall here–the sincere passion and effort that it takes to even make a film, much less with abbreviated budgets, is far more noteworthy and impressive than any shortcomings in production value relative to larger budget features.
Behie does a solid job here in his portrayal of Kyle, the generally more overtly studious of the lead duo/new recruits whose whole initial focus is to study as hard as possible in order to pass any and all of the classes they’re made to take. Of course, over time, with exposure to his fellow agent-in-training Trevor’s more laid-back, unconcerned attitude, it starts to loosen Kyle up a bit and soon the two are as thick as thieves, trying to outdo each other and outwit some of the facility’s staff. Kyle therefore undergoes this transformation from more awkward, nerdy bookworm to cool kid, boosting his self-esteem and overall demeanor, which is a pleasure to watch occur through Behie’s performance. Main, likewise, brings strong sense of teenage bravado and perhaps a little recklessness, to Trevor, a mildly devout trouble-maker who stumbles upon the opportunity to put his energies towards something more meaningful upon being caught doing something not so constructive, though his backstory lends itself to the actions he chooses to undertake in order to survive. Now having a more focused direction, he charges ahead with a renewed idea of purpose, shunning the book learning and trying to maximize the physical training and getting to “play” with guns. But, even his more glib persona matures and solidifies as he realizes the seriousness of what they are needed for, and his leadership abilities shine forth, even if still a little filled with machismo, well acted by Main.
Edwards has perfect chances to ham it up and play it over-the-top in his role as Agent Hill, a man whose long-standing success rate on missions with Section 62 is overshadowed only by his insistence on wearing a flame pattern-endowed baseball cap with his standard agency suit. A grown up kid, his methods are sound, his swagger well-earned, though his choice to train teens as agents is seen as a fool’s errand until he proves otherwise. Taking the challenge with all the resolve he has, Hill finds a way to tame the unruly teenage hearts and mold them into real heroes. Plus, his quite witty moments trying to woo Diane are completely entertaining, and I can only imagine how much fun Edwards had in playing this character, which to me is evident throughout. Barker’s Lindsey is the perfect foil to the all the boy’s shenanigans, even as she invokes the competitive streak in them as well. One hundred percent focused on being the best she can be while still choosing her particular suitor between Kyle and Trevor, Lindsey wastes no time in showcasing how seriously skilled she is, with parentage being a driving force behind this, and the intensity she brings paired with the flirtatious vibrancy all manifests itself well here thanks to Barker’s solid delivery.
Primary supporting turns abound, starting with the gaggle of staff members Hill employs to teach the teens the various skills they require. Dahl’s very unassuming martial arts instructor Mark works beautifully here because of his slight stature, which he takes full advantage of when Kyle and Trevor face him thinking he’s not possibly able to thwart their youthful might. Kenny’s hilariously overzealous math teacher Brandon dominates his scenes as the character annoys and perplexes everyone he comes into contact with, hence garnering him a certain “fate” in the greater storyline, while Walterscheid’s zany lit teacher Rachelle likewise captivates us with the pure insanity of her need for total discipline in the classroom, interruptions of which she does not tolerate, much to the viewer’s amusement. Then there’s Irwin’s Diane, the highly confident history teacher who has the hots for Agent Hill as well as possessing a no-nonsense approach to everything she does. Her efforts to get Hill’s attention combined with her frustrated attempts to keep the boy’s attention initially on history and not her assets is quite funny and well-played by Irwin. Maston’s Dr. Fantom is your prototypical arch-villain with a dastardly plan to be diffused, but you aren’t totally sure whether to feel for him as being misunderstood or despise him for the evil persona he puts across, which actually ends up working out well here thanks to Maston’s intentionally exaggerated and fun performance.
Additional turns are present here from Euber as Hill’s boss Agent Harrison, Wayne Lundy & Adam Berardi as Agents Decker and Reese, Becky Jo Harris as Natalie Evans, Tristan Koclanis as Fantom’s minion, John J. Berger as villain Sir Longbottom, Aubrey Leavitt as Longbottom’s female minion, Adam Voyles as a Henchman, Anthony Ruvacalba as a Reporter, and Matt Conklin as the Bartender along with a huge list of others, including director Moffat himself. In total, “Pocketman & Cargoboy” will stand as a solidly put together, family-friendly, entertainingly engaging, and view-worthy indie film effort that you need to not take too seriously so as to simply sit back and allow yourself to escape to a time where things simply needed to be fun, enjoyable, and smile-inducing while also being able to appreciate the growing pains and true grit it takes to make a movie, put it out there, and aim for successes that is found in the indie community.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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