Pretty Good

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Darryl Walker (Damon Wayans) and Kevin Walker (David Alan Grier) are brothers who loved the 60s Batman TV show when they were kids. Darryl grew up to be a childlike gadget inventor. Kevin is a cameraman for local TV news and in love with anchor Kimberly Jonz (Robin Givens). The boys live with their grandma who is a big fan of mayor candidate Marvin Harris. Harris intends to clean up the city where the police stopped caring after they stopped getting paid. The Walkers are in a crime-infested rundown neighborhood in Chicago. Harris refuses to be bought by gangster Michael Minelli and he sends goons to shoot up Harris's campaign office. Grandma Walker is killed. Darryl creates his Blankman vigilante persona with a formula he accidentally created which turns fabric impenetrable and his various gadgets.Damon Wayans is so annoying in this and he destroys any hope for a comedy. The story is more akin to the campy 60s Batman TV show. There're a couple of ways to make a good movie out of this. All of them require Damon to play a likable character. It can be stupid if it wants to be but the audience has to find Darryle adorable. Without that, nothing else could possibly work.

Wayans is a talent, that's for sure. I really like his sense of humor, which is smartly cheap, but doesn't constitute for good comedy, but I guess, wasn't really meant to. You can like it or lump it. This one really has it's moments, that's for sure, and even though he's a writer, mate, don't forget, Wayans can act. As the film's title character, he and his brother (David Allen Grier, a very underrated actor) have watched the caped crusader one two many times, where Wayan's virginal character, has really never grown out of this phase or grown up. He invents a lot of smart crap, out of cheap stuff, including a robot, you kind of feel embarrassed to have around the house. I loved his means of transport, something you've just gotta see, that takes him to his private crib of junk. When it city is ruled by these nasties who take the life of their grandmother, a victim of a small slaughter in a campaign office, this coaxes Wayans' to take his fictional hero out onto the street with contagiously amusing results. Sexy reporter Robin Givens, and god, she is sexy falls for Blankman, where Grier who works with her has been trying to get into her pants, while also trying to reach a higher status of employment. The face of the mayor who explosively buys it in another scene, sticks out like a sore thumb, as that actor from that film, RUN, where this is one of few comedies which does have a bit of a body count. Jason Alexander was good as Grier and Givens boss, again diabolical and bad to the core. And I must say the Blankman tune was catchy, but again I said the slightly dry film, suffers from it's cheap comedy treatment, where even though it is funny and smart, it doesn't make for good comedy, but laughs abound for Wayons's fans, and his character, he portrays all so fantastically.

Damon Wayans has a rather odd role here but he manages to amuse fairly enough in this 1994 Columbia Pictures release. Wayans portrays an average guy with big ideas but he never seems to get any recognition for them so he decides to make an attempt at being a media celebrity by going around town in his underwear and fighting crime under the alter ego, Blankman. It's highly bizarre but also fairly funny. The hilarious David Alan Grier is also on hand costarring as Blankman's sidekick.

Damon Wayans cuts it up as a (Grand)Mama's Boy with dreams of being a crimefighting superhero. David Alan Grier dreams of busting out his Mack Daddy on the star reporter (Givens) at the TV station where he works as a cameraman. Sprinkle liberally with "The Return of Duckman" -- Jason Alexander in the guise of Grier's producer, and as caustic as the quack ever was -- and throw in lots of junk... but it's *great* junk. With his wringer-equipped, flashlight-eyed, wrist-remote-controlled 1950's era automatic washing machine robo-buddy J5, Blankman (Wayans) creates an aura of mystique and cobbled together super-gadgets that would make Batman wonder "Where did he get all that junk?" (see also "Spiculum of Life") while making his neighborhood safer for his children. Nevermind that he's still a virgin. A gloriously campy superhero gigglefest that will at some point touch the heart and mind of every kid (grown up and otherwise) who wanted to open a can of whoop-ass in snazzy duds with groovy toys, then retreat back to your secret Super-Do-Gooder Hideout. Plenty of physical comedy to keep you chuckling, tricks and traps ingenious enough to qualify as "Diabolical Disastrous Doom... will our heroes be back next week?". An excellent rental.