Grayson: The Review
When I was making the SHH Fan Film list for my article: Fan Films A-G0-GO. I had list of films that have caught my attention over the past few months. I wanted to spotlight just a few for the first article, I was all but ready to post, when at the last minuet I stumbled upon GRAYSON.
After receiving a dozen emails from Hype’sters about “this cool Robin movie†My gut reaction was ‘who wants to see a film about Robin, he’s the sidekickâ€, but I thought I would check it out. After seeing the film, and then realizing that it was made by a friend of mine that I hadn’t talked to in years, well I had to add it to the list, Pronto!
First off, GRAYSON is done as a trailer for a film that doesn’t exist. (so don’t ask where the real movie is – there ain’t one) Most fan films are done without any legal right to the character(s), so don’t be fooled if you see a legit looking “Coming Soon†tagged onto the front of a fan film. I was totally blown away by Grayson, it caught me by surprise, it held my interest, it moved, it was fun, it kicked ass, and looked professional!
The story is simple: BATMAN has met an untimely end. By who? There lies the mystery. Dick Grayson, now a family man married to former Batgirl Barbara Gordon, they both live the suburban life with their young daughter. Dick hasn’t put on the tights in years, and has ‘retired’ for the sidekick business. But after the death of his mentor he is forced back into action. My first thought about the costume was OKAY, he’s gonna wear the old familiar red, yellow & green outfit, that could look a bit odd – a grown MAN wearing the TEEN WONDER’s togs, but to be honest once I was into the film I never gave it a second thought. The action staged here by writer, star and director John Fiorella is unbelievable! My jaw dropped more than a few times. Granted there is nothing as gutsy as Dan Poole hanging seven stories up a building in full Spidey attire with nothing but the rope he’s holding onto for safety, but Fiorella comes close in a few action packed scenes.
The film is shot like a trailer, so the full scoop of the story is left largely to your own imagination, but the images and teases we are given really make you wish this were a real trailer for a real film. And that is the sign of a good trailer – DAMN YOU JOHN FIORELLA! The film does contain quite an ambitious gallery of heroes & villains. Superman is the most obvious, as he has a important roll in the film, there is Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Joker, Riddler & Penguin but the most unexpected is a 5 second shot of the Green Lantern, these brief shots really make GRAYSON stand out and a lot of fun to watch.
Overall the level of professionalism, and thought given to the ‘story’ and attention to detail really make this fan film stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Grayson: The Interview
I was able to finally hook up with John Fiorella and ask him a few questions about the making of Grayson.
SHH would like to thank John for his time and for a great Fan Film!
Please check out www.UntamedCinema.com for more info on John Fiorella.
If you haven’t see the film click here to: WATCH GRAYSON – I also highly recommend you watch the making of Grayson “Pieces of the Puzzle†while you are there..
Source: Chris “Excelsior” Mason
