Mirageman

Excellent film, very good storyline and awesome action sequences. All the fights in this movie are in real time (no slow-motion then speed-up technique) and are done by the main actor Marko Zaror (Maco). All this makes it very realistic, honest and really fun to watch. I'm glad that this kind of films are made in Chile. I think the movie is great, it keeps you entertained all the time with vivacious action and a solid plot. I'm from Chile and I happen to know Marko from school (I was friends with his brother) and he always was influenced by the martial arts so I'm happy that he is doing what he most likes. I highly recommend this movie, you are in for a great treat!!

Here comes a new superhero movie from… Chile? Why not? This is not a typical superhero story. In fact 'super' is downright inaccurate while 'hero' just barely applies – at first.

Marko Zaror, a stuntman and reputed martial artist, stars as Maco, a quiet and respectful bouncer working at a local strip club. When not working, Maco is a fitness and workout nut. The seemingly gratuitous scenes showing Maco working out, charting calories, and taking amino acids seem like filler at first, but what the film is doing is introducing the character and showing his solitary life that contains little meaning outside of fitness and his institutionalized brother.

Maco's family was brutally attacked three years earlier. In the attack, the father and mother were murdered, the youngest brother beaten and sodomized, and Maco was beaten to near death. Since that time Maco has been training, working out, fanatically practicing martial arts for… something. Maco's brother is in a mental hospital due to the severe trauma of the murder and rape.

One night while jogging Maco stumbles across a robbery in progress outside of a suburban house. After instinctively disabling one bad guy, Maco hears screams coming from inside the house. Maco grabs the bad guy's mask and enters, surprising the bad guys and saving the day. One of the rescued victims is ambitions tabloid television reporter Carol V (María Elena Swett).

Carol V broadcasts a commentary piece the next night on her television show in which she calls the man that rescued her a "hero" without a Batmobile or cape. Maco is stunned by the reaction and the gears in his head start clicking. The gears become unstoppable when Maco visits his brother at the institution. For the first time since the attack, Maco's brother is responsive. It seems he was inspired by the report of the regular guy superhero. Maco then becomes convinced that he can stop the type of evil that happened to his parents, inspire his brother to get better, and perhaps earn the adoration of such public as Carol V.

"Mirageman" is a difficult and ultimately rewarding movie. In it's short 87 minute running time, "Mirageman" changes tone three different times. By far the most amusing scenes come early in Maco's career as Mirageman. Mirageman has to fight what would be the first real life challenge of any superhero: Practicality. Mirageman has to overcome cumbersome costume difficulties which include time required to change into the costume and where to stash his non-hero clothes. And of course transportation. Although Maco's "origin story" is similar to Bruce Wayne, Maco is no billionaire. His costume is pieced together from a sporting goods store and he owns no car. At first he takes the bus when battling villainy.

"Mirageman" also revels in the belly-bouncing glee of how a superhero must hold himself while walking around. "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man" never shows the viewer what it's like when the Caped Crusader or the Web-Slinger has to, say, simply walk up stairs or down a hallway. How would they act while doing the mundane? Marco deals with that as Mirageman. The extended sequences showing the costumed Mirageman 'creeping' in bright sunlight with his arms held to ready like an arcade game are both funny and uncomfortably awkward.

The second tone of "Mirageman" deals with the life of a hero after he's sorta figured it out. This includes the surprising public reaction to their very own superhero and the ways that a simple masked man trying to do good can be exploited and become something of which he never wished. Maco also has to deal with what fans he has and hopefully deal with that embarrassing transportation issue. Maybe a sidekick would be just the thing?

Maco goes through many transformations during the movie. I honestly can't remember more than one or two lines that Zaror has as Maco. Most of the character building is deftly conveyed using what the viewer already knows about 'superheros' and situational drama. Although he never says it, we feel Maco's pain, inadequacies, and sense of justice.

The third tone is set as Maco has to deal with these issues and the very real likelihood that, in order the make a real difference, he may have to risk it all.

The last act is brutal and realistic – a sharp contrast when compared to the relative camp of the opening act. One gets the feeling that this is what it would be like to take that mantel of responsibility.

Mirageman is left exploring a final question. Does he truly want to be a Hero?

from www.PopBunker.net @popbunker

Full review on my blog max4movies: Mirageman is a low-budget action movie that focuses on a more or less realistic story of a bouncer turned vigilante. The independent production lacks in cinematography and the plot and the comedic undertones may not always work as effectively as they should. However, this doesn't mean that Mirageman is simply a cheap copy of similarly themed movies like Kick-Ass with a considerably higher budget and well-known actors. The stunt work and choreography are impressive and the gritty performances make the movie feel realistic and compelling. The movie also never takes itself too seriously, which makes for some light-hearted and funny bits - that are also accompanied by some more serious discussions about the morality of vigilante actions in general. In total, Mirageman is a convincing and entertaining action movie package.

This is rational and perspective review:

If created in US, this movie would be laughable, ridiculed by all, and reduced to its own special place on a shelf in your local video store. The main actor would receive invitation to be an extra in a movie directed by Dolf Lundgren, and from there he would slowly grow as an actor, until the highlight of his career will be playing a bodyguard for a villain in a movie directed by Uwe Boll.

But since it's not, since this was created in Chile and has this special exotic smell, it goes to film festivals and gets screenings at the theaters. The main actor will still receive invitation to be in a Dolf Lundgren's movie, but that is not the point.

The movie looks like an amateur action/martial arts movie, but actually has a little more to offer.

The martial arts are good, and although it's not Tony Jaa good, the important thing is that it looks and feels very real. That is a first achievement. There are some funny scenes, sort of self humor, that have this WTF? potential and will make you laugh. Like when the Mirageman jumps from height to land bad on the hard asphalt, and then he rubs his foot, like it really hurt him. This small self humor is another achievement.

The story is rubbish, of course, full with melodramatic moments and silly situations. The production value is very poor, some of the street scenes were filmed with hidden camera and the reaction of people is real.

The Mirageman is not bold thematically, and mainly uses primitive and stereotypical tearful situations to awake some emotions in the viewer and create an empathy toward the heroic protagonist. You will find just a little complexity in this movie.

But Mirageman explores some difficult issues too, like what people are capable of in order to get famous, the price of fame and what is it mean to be a hero and what are the reasons to be one.

Overall the watching experience is very decent, and it even gets some big reinforcement by the ending, which is surprisingly good. The ending puts all the movie in the correct proportions, tights properly the plot, and delivers the movie as a good and solid product. The ending is the final and the biggest achievement.

This is another very good pairing of Chile's Mark Zaror and Ernesto Díaz Espinoza in a martial arts action film. This film surrounds Zaror's attempt to become a vigilante after the murder of some family members. The film has real heart and some very good fight scenes. It is a great vehicle for Zaror to display his fighting skills. The training scenes are among the best you will see in any film. The film is low budget, and that shows in its cinematography and, especially, in its musical score. The acting is good. The script is original. Zaror is great, and in this one he does not take himself too seriously. It is no wonder he has become one of the most sought after so-stars for martial arts and action films, including John Wick 4.