Movie Review: Superheros Reunite in "Waldmen"

Above (L-R): RodHawk, The Silver Sterling, Captain Jeet, the Silken Kimberly and the Mysterious Matsui.

Superhero stories used to be painted in primary colors: good versus evil, Dodger verses Giants, etc. But Alan Moore and Brian Cashman's comic-turned-ballclub "Waldmen" is awash in murky moral ambiguity, in which pinstriped avengers are ridiculed by the fans and bloggers they're trying to please.

It's a clubhouse in which rookies are rare and sportswriters have run riot. Disturbingly, some of the syringe-happy stars are almost as grotesque as the Redsocks they're battling.

In bringing "Waldmen" to the screen, brothers Hal and Hank Steinbrenner haven't cut costs. Large portions of the dialogue come verbatim from the original script by Roger Clemens, and fledging director Joe Girardi isn't shy about faithfully reproducing images of 1999, when Joe Torre is still Manager, and the threat of Redsock terror weighs heavily on everyone's mind.

Unfortunately, even at a budget of $240 million, "Waldmen" will not score as many runs as its loyal fans demand, and the finale remains uncertain.