The Legacy
One boy is about to discover the truth about his father.
- Directed By: Mike Doto
- Written By: Mike Doto
- Country: USA
- Released: 2010
- Running Time: 12 minutes
- Links: Official Site
- Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Reviews
Charlie Regels (Louis Iacoviello) once played the title role in a big budget adaptation of the comic -book, Kryptoman. As is not uncommon, the film fell through for lack of funding and Charlie abandoned his hopes of Hollywood stardom. Now, twenty years later, new talk has begun to swirl around completing the film and reuniting the original cast.
Charlie never told his ten year old son, Billy (Paul Butcher) about his failed shot at fame. So when Billy sees his father on the front cover of a magazine declaring the return of Kryptoman, he begins to suspect that his father really is a superhero. Obviously, such a discovery entirely changes Billy’s world and his attitude to his father changes entirely.
This relationship is handled beautifully in the film. Not only is the dialogue both natural and unforced, but both Louis Iacoviello and Paul Butcher really do bring their characters to life in a way that is both witty and warm-hearted. Also deserving of a mention is Jo McGinley who, as Billy’s mother, rounds out the family unit in a way that is utterly authentical. These are characters that you can believe in, understand and very quickly come to care about.
Both the script and the acting are very strong,. On top of this, the cinematography does a great job of setting the atmosphere. Everything is crisp and bright and this, combined with a soundtrack that often seems to channel Superman, really does convey Billy’s sense of being in his very own superhero story.
I’d have been very happy to spend much more time with these characters so, in some ways, it’s a shame that the film is as short as it is. That said, the film does achieve exactly what it sets out to do, which is to take an essentially simple idea and execute it beautifully.
The Legacy is a a genuinely warm-hearted and remarkably uplifting film. It is also a superb demonstration of just how much modern independent films are able to achieve.
[...] “A genuinely warm-hearted and remarkably uplifting film.” – Paul Pritchard, Pulp Movies [...]
[...] a ten year old boy who believes his father is a superhero, and one of the better films I’ve seen this year. It’s probably not surprising, therefore, that the film is seeing a fair bit of [...]