The Flying Man (2013) User Reviews (7)

Love it! My best wishes for an extended treatment.

[rzajac · 8/10 · 4 August 2013]

I hope it gets green-lit for development, then I hope they follow the vision through to a truly thought-provoking product with a mind-jarring denouement.

I've seen other feints in this direction: Dorman Grammit's superman fantasies in Frank Stack's "Dr. Feelgood" comics; and The Battlin' American in a Lloyd Llewelyn comic by Dan Clowes. And, of course, Watchmen.

For every 1000 pop culture theorists who can deconstruct the superhero genre at the drop of a hat, there may only be one who can write a scenario and screenplay that teases something truly exciting and accessible therefrom.

And it does need doing; the symbol is rife with implications, up to and including coercive fiat as the trump card of superpower nations.

The trailer had me searching high an low

[bvill-36857 · 7/10 · 22 December 2018]

I'm not sure what happens to this it says in development if so it should get picked up it could even become a tv series

Good short leaving you wanting more

[rtwhite70 · 8/10 · 2 August 2013]

Okay so we have a 10 minute short made with a cast of 3! Yes the plot around the drug/weapons deal is a little thin, but the style and feel of the moving is excellent. Love the way Rob is so casual about the whole thing without a care in the world, total unrealistic but brilliant. The character of Mike has a lot of potential for further development if a full length feature is ever made. This definitely has the potential of being a brilliant full length feature. As long as the corporates don't kill the whole thing in their effort to make money. This short has so much more credit than the utter junk that is passed off as cinematography today. Really am impressed, thanks.

Technically very impressive and more or less carries it across the content in the middle

[bob the moo · 31 March 2014]

A new flying superhero has arrived in town however this one appears to be targeting specific people to kill them – dropping them from the sky or in front of trains etc. It soon becomes apparent that his targets are criminals which, while not morally right, makes the criminal community nervous – not least of which is Mike, a former cop driving to a gun deal.

This short film is another one that feels like a pitch to get something bigger off the ground and to be fair it is an ambitious film that aims for the crowded superhero market. This is a little different though, since the Flying Man of the title is a vigilant who has decided to kill those who break the law. We open with a news footage montage of this happening with commentary over it – this gives the film an edge of realism but also buys the effects some love since the "grabbed footage" means more distant and less clarity. From here we step into the car with Mike and Rob and now the action is dialogue driven with only the wait for the flying man to potentially drop in. This section is not as good as it needed to be – there isn't enough added about the characters and the "wait for it" aspect is pretty much the whole deal.

Of course this aspect is still very good and is restrained in what it does. The return for the final minutes is again technically very impressive and the conclusion leaves open questions and room for more. I liked the focus on Mike rather than the flying man since this makes the short be more than just a series of effects shots, although of course it is still easy to see it as such. Worth a look for the dark edge and the nice tense air it has throughout.

So intriguing that I want to see the full-length.

[d_belihs · 10/10 · 27 February 2023]

About a week ago I got acquainted with this short film, and after the first viewing I was very pleased. This is a job well done, knowingly gained 21 million views on Youtube at the time of writing the review.

[Warning: next text may contain mild spoilers].

Let's start with the technical part. Special effects, lighting, plot, music - all this is done very well. The short film keeps you in suspense from the moment in the car of the main characters, where they listen to the news on the radio, until the very end. The very concept of a superhero who fights crime with violence is quite interesting. The concept is reminiscent of the series "The Boys", like "what if superheroes existed in real life." The superhero report at the beginning of the film is breathtaking; it even seemed to me that this was a real footage.

I really liked the short film. I look forward to the release of the feature film, I hope it retains the spirit of the original.

Solid special effects not enough

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 24 March 2016]

"The Flying Man" is a 9-minute live action short film from 3 years ago written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Marcus Alqueres. It becomes fairly obvious in this film that he is a prolific visual effects artist, but it also shows that he is not very experienced as the main man in charge. The story here is not particularly interesting and the film is really only that famous on Youtube as superhero films are really really popular right now. I have no interest in watching this one again or in watching a full feature film based on this short at some point. Overall, it dragged a bit even at that short runtime. The superhero sequences early on and at the very end were not interesting at all to me, at least the middle part had a bit of a story and characters. I do not recommend the watch. Thumbs down.

good job

[Kirpianuscus · 25 June 2019]

A simple story, good special effects, the idea of justice and, after Marvel universe, a not so strange character looking for do what it must be done. A good short film, with a powerfull end, with nice science to build the tension and dialogue. Short, good start for a new serie.