WFG RATING: B+

Showmax presents a Forum Films production. Written and directed by Pierre Malan. Produced by Louis Gagiano. Cinematography by Philip van Zyl. Edited by Elrich Yssel.

Stars Luan Lauw, Austin Coetzee, Pierre Malan, Andre Odendaal, Lilani Prinsen Potgieter, and Willem Klopper.

A man endowed with super strength finds himself in a major predicament in this funny South African film from Pierre Malan.

Luan is a man who as a child, lost his mom and somehow discovered he had gained a super power. Similar to the strength of Superman, he normally doesn’t flaunt his powers, but rather, take care of his disabled brother Austin and hang out at the local diner. There, he has been pining for a new waitress. When a group of thugs decide to cause trouble at the diner, Luan decides to stand up to them as they head towards the park.

Luan single handedly takes on the goons and a video of the beatdown goes viral. This attracts the attention of their boss, who has no remorse in killing the two lead goons responsible. When the group attempts to take the park hostage, Luan is still able to stop them. However, the big boss soon learns there is someone who may be Luan’s equal. A mysterious fellow named Pierre. Pierre offers to stop Luan at all costs.

Pierre Malan wrote and directed this superhero dramedy that may only have a 56 minute running time, but is ultimately fun to watch. In an age where we have superheroes who look like they could come out of a pin-up calendar or even a clothing catalog, this film’s major advantage comes in the form of an ordinary looking fellow who just happens to have superpowers, mainly super strength and is seen as both a hero and somewhat hindrance to his community. 

Luan Lauw is great as Luan, the everyman superhero who lives life each day knowing of his powers, but doesn’t like flaunting it. He is seen more as a normal guy who finds himself in love with the new waitress at the diner, getting his balls broken by the veteran waitress/owner all the time, and taking care of his brother, played by Austin Coetzee. It is only when a band of thugs cause trouble where Luan finally shows what he’s capable of. Using slow-motion and some decent fight choreography of close quarter combat, Lauw holds himself pretty well.

Of course, with this being a comedy, there are some funny scenes involving the villains. The big boss, played with at-times hilarity from Andre Odendaal, rips one of his goons for being on his phone during a meeting before proceeding to just put him out of his misery. When he attempts to hold the park hostage via a video call, the signal gets lost, resulting in some comic shtick about technologies of past and present. 

However, the most bat-censored crazy scene is the battle between Luan and equal Pierre, played by the director himself. The two engage in a Deadpool style gun vs. sword fight before attempting to shoot laser-style Nerf rivals at each other before a hand-to-hand combat duel that adds a shocking twist, and this twist is jaw-droppingly good. 

Die Parkie Storie is fun, witty, and chaotic at times but it is fun to see what could be the last person you would expect to be one with superpowers. A nice little treat from South Africa.