A character in "Steel" describes Shaquille O'Neal's character this way: "He looks like the Tin Man on steroids."
That's about the size of it.Based on a comic book, the movie is essentially a goofy variation on "Batman" and "Superman" (complete with closeups of Shaq's "Superman" logo tattoo).
But it actually plays like a more serious version of Robert Town-send's "Meteor Man" - a black superhero in the inner-city using powers/gadgets to battle gangs and save kids from their clutches.
Shaq's character has helped create a top-secret sonic weapon for the military, but he quits after a reckless fellow officer (Judd Nelson) causes an explosion that results in the death of a senator and serious injury to Shaq's computer-genius best friend (Annabeth Gish).
Nelson is court-martialed, and Shaq returns to his Los Angeles home. But when Nelson starts distributing black-market versions of the military weapons, Shaq decides to take action.
With help from wheelchair-bound Gish and a friend (Richard Roundtree) who operates a junkyard (with some unique "junk"), Shaq builds his own weapons and an armored suit.
He clanks around the city, shooting sonic booms at the bad guys and using "Batman"-style doodads to get around. (Late in the film, Gish also gets into the spirit of things, with a wheelchair that could have been equipped by James Bond's colleague Q.)
At its silliest, 7-foot Shaq walks around the same neighborhood where 7-foot "Steel" saves the day, yet no one suspects they might be the same person.
Not that any of this movie makes sense. It's really just a silly excuse for Shaq to play superhero and dodge exploding cars and fireballs. (One of the gang members calls him "The jolly black giant.")
Shaq isn't much of an actor, of course, but as with his first starring effort, "Kazaam," he's used more for his screen "presence." And casting Nelson in the picture helps, since he's always pretty awful.
Gish plays her role as seriously as if she was in "Passion Fish," and Roundtree does his usual lovable curmudgeon. Both deserve better. (Roundtree even makes a joke about "Shaft," his most famous starring role.)
"Steel" is rated PG-13 but is pretty violent, with a few profanities and vulgar jokes.