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Introverted high school kid Rick (Drake Bell) becomes the superhero Dragonfly after a radioactive insect bites him on a class field trip. Though he can’t fly, it may help him win the heart of his beautiful neighbor (Sara Paxton) and take down the ruthless villain Hourglass (Christopher McDonald). Spoof veteran Leslie Nielsen also stars as Rick’s uncle.

Big question: Can this send-up of “Spider-Man” and other comic book adaptations, delivered by guys who worked on the “Naked Gun” and “Scary Movie” films, rise above the astonishing worthlessness of “Meet the Spartans” and “Date Movie”?

Skip it: Childish humor comes with the territory, but escapism doesn’t mean we need to see extended sequences of animals humping Rick or his aunt farting for more than a minute. Actually, take out the fart jokes and junior high-level sexual references and “Superhero Movie” would be about 12 minutes long--but the enjoyable, dialogue-driven silliness that remained would still be funnier than anything the “Epic Movie” guys have ever done.

Catch it: For some funny jabs about why superheroes need to wear costumes, and the humor surrounding this single obvious fact: If Rick can photograph Dragonfly, he probably is Dragonfly. After all, isn’t this the point of a spoof? (And not the film’s pokes at Enron, Tom Cruise and Barry Bonds, all of which are about as timely as a Borat impression?)

Bottom line: “Superhero Movie” prefers physical comedy over idiotic references to other movies, so it’s consistently, harmlessly stupid rather than soul-crushingly annoying. And these days, that seems like an achievement.

Bonus: Bet you’ve never seen a Thanksgiving turkey stuffed with vodka, a potted plant and a live kitten, then coated with varnish.

What do you think of 'Superhero Movie'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com

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