Griff the Invisible - an Aussie Superhero Film

Griff the Invisible (2010) is an Australian, comedic, superhero movie that follows in the tradition of Kick Ass and Super (coincidentally released in the same year as those movies) in that it features a hero with no real super powers. Griff is just an unassuming, meek, office worker by day and a fairly awesome crime fighter by night... or is he?

I discovered this movie on free to air TV a couple of nights ago and was surprised to see such a well thought out superhero movie, made in Australia on an obviously modest budget.

It's not your typical action packed superhero film with a big finale face off against the main villain at the end. This movie has a heart, showing that it's okay to be who we really are when we're in our own private head space.

It then takes that idea and brings love into the equation. Exploring the dynamic of letting someone into that world that you keep hidden from everyone else.

Griff is played superbly by Ryan Kwanten, who American audiences may know from the television series True Blood, but Australian audiences may also recognize him from Aussie soap Home & Away. (At least that's where I last saw him - and it took me a long time to place him because he's playing a very different character to Vinnie Paterson).

I don't want to tell you too much about this film so as not to spoil the story. The story is an engaging but slow burn kind of script where you're not always sure where reality ends and fantasy begins but it becomes clearer as the film progresses.

Griff the Protector, Griff's alter ego, is not the straight forward superhero with no powers that he seems. Melody, played by Maeve Dermody, sees a kindred spirit in Griff as she learns more about him. We follow along as she falls for his eccentric ideas and attempts to merge her own peculiarities with his, frustrating Griff's older, more conventional brother, Tim (Patrick Brammall) along the way.

I really enjoyed Griff the Invisible. It did seem to be a little slow in places but overall, for me it was a fresh take on the everyday person attempting to be a superhero. Funny and thought provoking, I'd highly recommend it if that's a theme that interests you.

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