Superhero Movie is a far cry from the glory days of the Zucker Brothers (i.e. Airplane, Top Secret, and The Naked Gun) but writer director Craig Mazin does manage to invoke a similar spirit. At the very least, the parody works much more successfully than Date Movie and Epic Movie. I suppose it helped that Mazin had David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss as consultants.

All but following the Spider-man mythology, Superhero Movie features Drake Bell as Rick Riker, a nerd who just wants to win over a girl's heart. One day while on a field trip, Rick is bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly, and before long, he finds he has incredible powers. Powers that might just lead him to defeat the evil Hourglass (played by a hilarious Christopher McDonald).

Now perhaps it was because of low expectations, or maybe it was just that I was slap happy being that I was taking this flick in at a midnight screening. Whatever the case may have been, I laughed at this more than I thought I would.

Mazin doesn't jam the film with as many super hero jokes as one might expect. As previously stated, the plot is vintage Spider-Man, but there's a little Batman, X-Men, and Fantastic Four thrown in for good measure, but that's about it. The rest of the time the movie is taking mean spirited pot shots at folks like Stephen Hawking, and even though I knew I shouldn't be laughing, I was.

Superhero Movie definitely doesn't come up aces all around. There's an extended fart gag involving Marion Ross that wears out its welcome awfully quick, and the mid section of the film definitely drags a bit. Still, at a quick eighty five minutes, Superhero Movie manages to be more entertaining than one of the films that inspired it. I'm referring to the convoluted mess that was Spiderman 3. In case you're wondering, I'm not kidding. Not only is this movie funnier, it also offers up a more intriguing villain in the form of Hourglass. Obviously, this whole movie is meant to be one big joke, but I don't think McDonald was in on it. He makes a pretty damn engaging super villain. This is his strongest bad guy role since Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore.

Also along for the ride and bringing the funny? Leslie Nielsen. He's still got after all these years. Just looking at this guy makes me laugh.

Superhero Movie isn't necessarily the definition of classic comedy. It's juvenile and crass, but it has enough big laughs (the Tom Cruise impersonator is a friggin' genius) to offer up a mild recommendation. Besides, how can I not recommend a movie that features a tune called "Douche Bag of the Year"? On a final note, stick around through the end credits. There's some pretty funny out-takes.