Gagamboy

Saw this film whilst on a trip to Hong Kong last year and happened to catch it at the ongoing HK Intl Film Festival. Saw the long lines of mostly HK teenagers. I felt I may be out of place but that thought lasted only a few minutes into the movie when I started laughing together with the crowd enjoying this funny film which is a third world take on Spiderman, slapstick style. It has great effects but obviously not meant to impress but enough for you to appreciate the efforts of the director who may be working on a tight budget. The movie takes place in a slum area which could be typical in a poor country like the Philippines (where this film is from). Some of the scenes were lost on me though perhaps could be too local in flavor for me to understand but I believe could be politically tinted jokes. The lead actor has great comedic timing, the production design is fantastic, and the movie translates well for both children and adults. Not sure if this available on DVD. Highly recommended.

It is obvious that this film is nothing really special. Typically Filipino. I only liked Vhong Navarro's flirting with the beautiful and sexy actress Aubrey Miles. That's all. The plot is okay. They've played their role as lovers really well. Llana(Aubrey Miles) being a humble beauty goddess and Junie/Gagamboy (Vhong Navarro) being shy but helpful and honest, grabs the attention of the audience. The surroundings are very typical to a typical Philippine city slum area. I find it unique that the plot takes place there. In this film, people will learn about how one should be confident of showing one's true self without hiding what one really is. Also, people should not underestimate others on their abilities and what they look like. I think this was the actual message of the film. Once again, Vhong Navarro played his role very well here. I recommend this movie to people who like simple but satisfying films.

When the hero wears a mask that looks more like a rejected Ninja Turtle design from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and the villain is clad in enough rubber latex and foam to make Ultraman and all his heroic sentai brethren quiver in fear, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Gagamboy.

And let me stress that with its enthusiastic influences from Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns and triumphant brass numbers that echo snizbits from the 60s Spider-Man theme song, the soundtrack to Gagamboy is definitely the one to get.

It's inevitable to make comparisons between Spider-Man and Gagamboy, but that's like comparing Ping Lacson and Daryl F. Gates. The similarities are superficial at best, and any correlation is a sign of complete misunderstanding. Unlike most other Pinoy superheroes, Gagamboy is a film with an identity and dichotomy all its own, and stands out as one of the none rip-offs.

Gagamboy is not about power and responsibility, nor is it about father figures. And most of all, Gagamboy is not about an isolated geek's transformation into a Friendly Neighborhood hero who "swings with it". Rather, it's about a boy who discovers that having powers and a secret identity doesn't make you any more substantial than the fabric that makes your costume and how your alter ego can never be more than the person who inhabits it. And most of all, it's about how escaping your "self" is not all it's cracked up to be.

Of course, with 250'000$ budget, it's impossible to have the spectacular result of Spider-Man. Yet, this movie is better than the American original. Full of humor (some scenes could have been done by the Monty Pythons!), the movie offers us also an interesting look on poverty and politics in Philippines. The colors (a lot in this movie) remember the Philippines comics, and make the townships look like in soap operas. The 2nd degree - always present - make this movie interesting for both adults and kids. Actors are good in this comedy, doing enough to make us laugh and passing emotions through the screen. Well done! Thanks Matti & Co!

I was a little boy, from the provinces and I loved spider man and this film only made me realize how much i loved gagamboy more. It all started when he said it's gagamboyin' time, such beautiful words from a very beautiful film. This was also when vhong navarro created gagamboy : it's gagamoboyin time 2 in 2007 for it made me realized I needed more gagamboy. I am now a 23 year old student who studies at UP Diliman but I will never forget how Gagamboy changed me forever. IT OPENED ME AND MY SOUL. I realized God was GAGAMBOY, I realized JESUS WAS VHONG NAVARRO ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT ATE GLORING WAS THE VIRGIN MARY. TO THIS DAY I PRAY TO GAGAMBOY LIKE WESTERNERS DO TO SHREK. IN FACT, NOT ONLY DO I PRAY I SACRIFICE LIVES FOR HIM THIS LOW BUDGET MASTERPIECE IS HIGH BUDGET IN EYES OF GOD, GAGAMBOY. #GAGAMBOYSWEEP #GAGAMBOYIN' #GAGAMBOYERS.