Super (2011)

Very disappointing...

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I think the movie was great in genereal (drama, gore, funny, action)...the story of a regular guy becoming a superhero its not bad...but the idea of his crusade was to rescue his wife and after all she left him anyway was sad because in the way libby actually cares about frank and had a tragic death.

Super's premise it too goofy to be taken seriously, yet it tries so hard to be serious. It's a disturbing dark comedy that isn't very funny. It has a few interesting moments, but not enough to save this sinking ship. It's a waste of talent, in my opinion.

James Gunn's Super has been eclipsed by the success of the similarly themed and very enjoyable Kick-Ass, but his film is also well worth a watch, taking a slightly different and possibly more daring approach to Kick Ass's underdog superhero schtick. In Gunn's film, the average Joe who dons a costume to fight crime isn't an affable misguided teen, but rather a depressed short-order cook, Frank (Rainn Wilson), who can only recall two perfect moments in his whole life, one of which is his marriage to Sarah (Liv Tyler), who has recently left him in favour of heroin dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Clearly suffering from mental health issues as a result, Frank comes to believe that he has been chosen by God to fight injustice, and becomes masked avenger The Crimson Bolt, but finds that being a hero isn't like in the comic books.As with Kick Ass, Super is a blend of action, comedy and graphic violence, but the effect is more unsettling than its better known counterpart, Gunn's morally ambiguous character casually dishing out extreme violence for minor infractions at the drop of a hat (even whacking a guy on the head with a wrench for cutting in line at the movies!). And when Ellen Page joins in on the fun as his completely psychotic sidekick Boltie, things get even darker, the pair almost killing a young man for allegedly keying a car. Eventually, The Crimson Bolt and Boltie lead an assault on Jacques stronghold, Frank rescuing Sarah from her drugs hell, but at a heavy cost. The film ends on a bitter-sweet note, Frank alone once more, Boltie dead and Sarah having left him again, but with our hero now blessed with a whole room full of 'perfect moments'.

Before James Gunn got all famous and whatnot in the Marvel universe, he made a few dark, perverse little gems that aren't for everybody, but have to be seen by those with the right sense of humour. Slither was his low budget, brilliant schlocker, and here with Super he takes a stab (literally) at the superhero genre, albeit in his own off kilter and unsettling way. Rainn Wilson, who is off kilter and unsettling himself, is our sad sack protagonist, a dreary nebbish named Frank Darbo, married to a troubled hottie (Liv Tyler) who is way out of his league and adorned with baggage. We soon learn that Frank is very disturbed, when his favourite TV superhero (Nathan Fillion in a brief cameo) informs him he must adorn cape and costume himself in order to fight the injustice in the world. His name? The Crimson Bolt. His weapon of choice? A great big crescent wrench, which he uses very generously to dole out his own extreme brand of justice. His motto? "Shut up, crime!!" (I laughed every time). He's an unconventional 'hero' to say the least, most of his good deeds consisting of brutally attacking citizens with said wrench for minor infractions like butting in line at the cinema, an uproarious scene if your sensibility is twisted enough, but then that's the jist of the whole thing. His longterm goal is to get Tyler back from the clutches of evil drug kingpin Jacques (a hilariously chatty Kevin Bacon), and prevent as many crimes as he can along the way. He ends up causing far more damage than he means to fix though, an awkwardly psychotic tornado of unwarranted violence and delusions of grandeur. Things get more out of hand when he aquires a spitfire of a sidekick named Bolty, played by Ellen Page in a performance that's right out to lunch and then some. Page plays her to the deranged hilt, cackling like a maniac at her own violent antics and getting super uncomfortable with Wilson in the bedroom (seriously… one messed up scene). Gunn can always be counted on to hire interesting actors, so be on the lookout for Linda Cardellini, Andre Royo, Gregg Henry and Michael Rooker as Bacon's lead thug. A lot of what happens here is awkward, cringey stuff, the chronicle of a misplaced and sad little man under the impression that his life has some preordained meaning, as delineated by the red suit. It's a thin shroud to hide the worthless and pathetic existence he has lead so far, and as such it's kind of a depressing thing to bear witness to. But rejoice in how darkly hilarious it is as well, because there's plenty of pitch black humour and perfectly timed comedic moments that spice it up. Gunn understands people and the way they talk (a trait so often lacking in writers), and even with concepts so out in the stratosphere beyond normality, his characters still have their feet on the ground and seem realistic. A treat, if a sourly bittersweet one.