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Directed by Alexander Edep Starring Stevie Hopkins, Tommy Sullivan, & Kyra Aguilera Short Film Review by Monica Jowett
Short film Wannabe follows the story of an American high schooler who becomes a superhero vigilante. A superhero drama with a dash of comedy, this is a brave short film from a young filmmaker, Alexander Edep.
Peter Anderson (Stevie Hopkins) follows in the footsteps of his comic book heroes who help change the world. After continuing robberies committed by a gang, Peter turns to fighting the crime as a superhero nicknamed ‘Wannabe’ along with his friend Mitchell (Tommy Sullivan), not knowing his girlfriend Katie (Kyra Aguilera) has got mixed up in some dodgy business herself.
The concept of Wannabe is good, taking leave from films like Kick-Ass and Super, the former being a clear influence for the character too, with a poster for the film hanging in Peter’s room. With such an influx of superhero movies in recent years, this short film sadly falls flat on pulling off an original twist. Peter/Wannabe is a hero who just wants to make the area he lives a better place, and in the suburbs, it is often just helping neighbours out with dogs.
Director Edep has a great eye for filmmaking. The cinematography is aesthetically pleasing, and provides a good contribution to the narrative. He makes good use of framing and lighting from scene to scene, utilising the space within each sequence.
The actors sadly cause the film to lose its edge, though are clearly giving full effort to the story and characters. While the script from Edep and co-writer Michael Kennedy is good, the delivery of the dialogue is stiff, causing the dramatic moments, or what should be a big reveal, to have little emotional impact.
Much of the humour in the film falls on Mitchell, Peter’s goofy and overdramatic best friend who tags along with Peter and pops at random moments. After discovering a burner phone among Peter’s souvenirs he has kept from a previous heroic moment, Mitchell and Peter discover a bigger plot.
Wannabe is a short film that shows an eagerness and aptitude for filmmaking. Though the premise might be a little weary, the visuals make the short film one to enjoy watching, and give way for a young filmmaker to watch for too.
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