Kid Flicks: The Meteor Man (1993)

Every family has a movie (or movies) that, for one reason or another, takes the VCR/DVD Player hostage and receives more repeat viewings than it deserves. In our house, some of those movies were Sister Act, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and The Meteor Man.  These are just some of the movies I want to write about in my new series, Kid Flicks.

African-American superheroes aren't easy to find.  For every Blade, Storm, and Bishop, there's about a billion other superheroes hosting paler complexions.  While researching for my thesis ("Hollywood's Depictions of Inner-City High Schools") I repeatedly came across journal articles discussing the lack of minority comic book characters.  Even with the emergence of the graphic novel, non-white heroes are still few in number.  I bring this up mostly because as a kid I LOVED The Meteor Man but had no idea just how important the movie was.

Robert Townsend is grossly underrated.  He's written, produced, directed, and starred in a a number of films that are equally underrated.  Don't believe me?  Get your hands on a copy of Hollywood Shuffle, a comedic satire aimed at the stereotyping of black actors in Hollywood. After you watch it, revel in the fact that this was his first film.

Townsend stars as Reed Jefferson, a mild-mannered inner-city citizen who comes into contact with a space rock that gives him superpowers.  He's strong, he flies, and he's backed up by a concerned Neighborhood Watch group.  Together, they take on The Golden Lords, a vicious street gang complete with matching hairdos and gold Slinkys.  

This is (to my knowledge) the only superhero film that directly addresses the issues of inner-city gang violence.  Other superheroes have fought random gangsters and thugs but Meteor Man worked with Bloods, Crips, and the police to stop street violence.  This came out in 1993, a time where Los Angeles was rioting over Rodney King and the East Coast/West Coast rivalries were beginning to heat up.  Gang membership was on a rise and their violence was too. Looking back, it becomes clear just how important Meteor Man was.  An African-American superhero who fought the real evils of the time. 

Another reason to check out Meteor Man is its huge ensemble cast.  Actors such as James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby, and Don Cheadle play prominent roles.  Townsend also embraced the hip-hop community by casting Big Daddy Kane, Naughty By Nature, Cypress Hill, and Another Bad Creation.  

Where I grew up, there were only three radio stations I could pick up: a country station, a hip-hop station, and a Mexican music station.  I didn't speak Spanish and I hated country.  That left hip-hop.  Cypress Hill's "Black Sunday" was released around the same time as this  movie and it didn't take me long to recognize B-Real as one of the gang leaders who helps Meteor Man at the end.  The soundtrack definitely played a part in my repeated viewings.

When I was young, I thought Meteor Man was the coolest.  I owned X-Men comic books but the movies were a decade away.  Superman wasn't my cup of tea and his movies were boring.  Batman was one of my favorites but his movies were deemed "too violent" by my parents.  That left Meteor Man.  His movie has awesome action, the ever-coveted rap music, and was funny.  And while it epitomizes "The Nineteen-Nineties" and looks completely dated today, it's still a fun watch and carries a message more important than most other superhero movies.

Memorable Meteor Man Images:

1. The gold Slinkys.

2. The newly united Bloods and Crips appearing on the rooftops--packing automatic weapons--to help a weakening Meteor Man.

3. Bill Cosby living in a basement.  For some reason, this really sticks out in my memory. 

The Meteor Man

Directed, Written, and Starring: Robert Townsend
Co-Starring: Eddie Griffin, James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby, Don Cheadle, and Sinbad
Release Date: August 6th, 1993
Studio: MGM