Kappa Force Shakes Up the Superhero Template

October 25, 2019 0 By EVA

Depression can be funny, or at least in how things worked out for filmmaker Addison Heimann’s life, it can lead to something very funny. Laid up with depression and binging a massive amount of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the thought about a bunch of sorority sisters with superpowers struck him almost as quickly as it took him to finish a bag of pizza rolls. From this, Kappa Force was born, all the way back in 2015. Through years of hard work, collaborating with a dream team that included the likes of director Hannah Welever and producer Emilie Modaff, Heimann’s passion project is about to hit the streaming screen.

On October 27, the series will premiere on Revry, an online network that bills itself as the first queer global streaming network. From its original inception, the series was funded through crowdsourcing and it was during a film festival in Vermont where Heimann met the Revry team who presented him with the good news that they wanted Kappa Force on their team.

I spoke with Addison earlier this month about the show and his other work which often explores technology and AI in a Black Mirror-esque way. Unfortunately, while our chat was originally planned to be apart of our podcast, my recording equipment bit the dust and the audio from our conversation was lost to the ether. While I don’t have the chat to share, I can present some of the highlights from our time.

Kappa Force puts stereotypes on their heads in place for humor, allowing its characters to be fully realized while existing in a camp atmosphere. They’re college students aiming to get good grades and make a difference, but it’s peppered with stories of parties, fart jokes, and taking down the patriarchy. The politicism isn’t biting at your ankles, instead, it provides a platform to highlight the jokes, characters quirky sensibilities and the realization that there are college-aged superheroes as if it was an everyday kind of normal. One of the best running jokes throughout the eight episodes is off-brand pop music. Upon watching the series, a different tune will drop in that sounds vaguely familiar every so often that adds to the series delightfulness.

While mainstream superhero films, TV shows, and comics still come up short in terms of diverse characters, Kappa Force seamlessly gifts it to the audience. It’s by no means forced, it just exists, which works since the main plot is the driving force. This could be due to Addison’s background in theatre, informing his decisions in storytelling that not all things have to be pointed out in order to be present.

With eight episodes, and none topping more than eight minutes long, Kappa Force is a quick, easy and enjoyable watch. The breezy use of camp is reminiscent of the late 90s shows that helped inspire it. It was a labor of love for Addison, and the dozens of people he was able to employ in order to make the dream come true.

Watch the Kappa Force trailer below and tune in to Revry on their website at: https://revry.tv