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RETROGIRL: ORIGIN
Produced, Directed, Written and Edited by Andy RodriguezRetrogirl - Melissa Brady-Black
There's not much to review when it comes to RETROGIRL: ORIGIN. That's not to say there is anything wrong with RETROGIRL, it's just that this premier episode, in what appears to be an attempt at a live action comic book, is pretty short. With a little over 10 minutes to tell the origin of this new superheroin, Director Andy Rodriguez slices everything down to the bare bones.
The episode opens with a new RETROGIRL making the nightly rounds and roughing up some baddies. From there we vault back in time one month where the current RETROGIRL, Jessica, has her powers passed down to her by her predecessor. Now that I think about it, Jessica could very well be the predecessor. The old RETROGIRL is from the future!
Confused? Don't be. This is a story about a heroine who has to power to control time. She leaps back and forth at will, even freezing those around her and locking them in the now while she moves about freely. For this notion to work, there has to be a dimension outside of conventional time where the rules of the Time Paradox don't lie.
There's a theory that if one travels to the past, even if for an instant, their very presence will change the course of the future, possibly destroying the travelers chances of even being born. This is the paradox: if someone was never born, how can they travel to the past?
Here's one. If a future RETROGIRL needs to travel to the past in order to give her predecessor her powers, then who started the RETROGIRL chain to begin with? If today is the past, and Jessica is the original RETROGIRL, then without her powers there could never be a line of RETROGIRL's. Without the line of RETROGIRL's, Jessica would never have gotten her powers.
Which came first, the chicken, the egg, or the never-ending pseudo-intellectuals that spend far too much of their time trying to answer such questions?
Now go take some Advil, while I pause to break out my textbooks on quantum physics ...
Feeling better? Has the head stopped spinning?
The only way to enjoy a time travel film is through the total suspension of disbelief. The ride is what's important, not the jalopy getting you there.
Superhero movies are only as engaging as their hero. They have to be able to charm the dickens out of the audience. Viewers have to want this character to succeed on all levels, or you're doomed for failure. Peter Parker might be a dweeb, but he's a lovable dweeb whom we all know will make the right decisions, basing those choices on selfless love and courage.
With little time to work with, Andy Rodiguez doesn't show the viewers any of Jessica's personal life. All we know about her is that she has the power to fight crime through time. As a superheroin, actress Melissa Brady-Black fits the bill. She possesses an athletic frame, a pretty face, and that ever needed chinfull of courage. Dressed in skin-tight spandex, she has the look down pat. We just don't know why she does what she does.
Future installments should answer all questions relating to RETROGIRL and her role in the cosmos. As it stands, this origin episode might not provide much in the way of substantial story, but it does provide and interesting and fun jumping on point for people psyched by the recent successes of SPIDER-MAN and SMALLVILLE. It's equally entertaining at a fraction of the budget.