Review by Julie Sheppard:
A-Train – New Beginnings is an entertaining romp, which is confirmed with a disclaimer off the top describing this short as “a non-profit fan film…a passion project made for entertainment purposes only”. This cheeky, humour-filled flick combines confident performances on par with those in actual DC films, while at the same time, the actors seem fully aware of the parody and are having a fabulous time with it.
The “superhero” wardrobe, hair and makeup elements are colourful and workable with a fitting Hallowe’en feel that matches the parody. There’s a clever narrative of the breakaway hero, who takes up a new career as a successful rapper, hitting the charts with hilarious lyrics about mistakenly mowing down a person in the line of duty, leaving nothing but severed, rubber limbs — the kind you’d also see on Hallowe’en.
Not surprised at the newly minted rapper’s popularity, who produces a rousing, pounding beat, causing other characters to get down. Awesome use of funky CGI throughout, and of a flashy text-laden dance box during the music video section. There’s some fun banter between A-Train and others, such as bonding with the sound engineer and giggling with the media interviewer.
While the creators of this piece humbly place themselves as non-profit fan filmmakers, they should not sell themselves short — this amusing film gives viewers quite the escape!
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