Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (2016 film)

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (stylized as Electra Woman & Dyna Girl) is an 2016 American superhero comedy film that is a reboot of the 1976 television series of the same name. The film stars YouTube personalities, Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart as Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, respectively. The film was digitally released by Fullscreen through its own streaming platform as a series of eight 11-minute web episodes, on April 26, 2016, and was scheduled to be released on all major platforms on June 7, 2016, by Legendary Digital Studios and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film centers around the superhero duo as they fight crime in their local Akron, Ohio, before relocating to Los Angeles.

Plot

Electra Woman (Helbig) and Dyna Girl (Hart) are two amateur superheroes who fight crime in their local city of Akron, Ohio. Wanting to be noticed for their actions, they accept an offer to relocate to Los Angeles.^[1] Consequentially they find themselves overwhelmed in the crowded superhero business, and additionally suffer from fighting amongst themselves, as Dyna Girl is displeased with being viewed as Electra Woman's sidekick.^[2]

Production

Grace Helbig (top) portrays Electra Woman and Hannah Hart (bottom) portrays Dyna Girl

Helbig detailed that the film shot for a month and a half in Vancouver.^[3] During the film's production, Helbig detailed in an Entertainment Weekly interview that, "When we create these characters, we want them to feel authentic," adding "I know as an audience member myself, watching YouTube videos and wanting to consume other forms of content, I resonate with the personalities I think are the most transparent."^[4]

Hannah Hart expressed that she and Helbig "were pretty involved with the director and the costume department while the suits were being crafted," adding that the two "wanted to make sure that they weren't over-sexualized and functional for crime fighting."^[5]

Announcement and release

In February 2015, Legendary Entertainment and Fullscreen announced the project,^[6] originally not clarifying whether it would be released through a digital or television platform.^[7] In July, a teaser trailer was screened at VidCon 2015,^[8] followed by a full trailer in March 2016.^[9]

The film was released as a series of eight 11-minute webisodes by Fullscreen on April 26, 2016, through its digital streaming platform.^[5][10] It was released worldwide on June 7, 2016, on all major platforms; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Legendary oversaw its distribution.^[11]

Reception

Judith Dry of Indiewire gave the film a B+ grade, declaring it "not as addictive as Jessica Jones, and not as funny as Spy, but it's a refreshing addition to the rapidly growing female-led superhero genre." Dry complimented the on-screen chemistry of the titular leads, as well as how the film easily passes the Bechdel–Wallace test.^[12]

Tim Poon of Platform Nation gave the film a final score of 5 out of 10, criticizing how "nothing is ever explained through action or environment or inference," noting that the extensive use of exposition via dialogue frequently contravenes the storytelling principle of show, don't tell; he believes this technique reveals "a lack of confidence from the writers in either the actors, the audience, or themselves." Poon qualified his somewhat negative opinion by adding, "Hart ... not only comes the closest to landing the majority of her character's jokes but is also a fully capable actor."^[13]

Matt Fowler at IGN, in the style of an advertorial, gave no qualitative opinion of Fullscreen's pre-film serialization other than that Helbig's Electra Woman "overshares" and "gets a bit gross".^[14]

References

External links

• Official website
• Electra Woman and Dyna Girl at Legendary
• Electra Woman and Dyna Girl at the Internet Movie Database