Review of Super (2010) by Allan C — 25 Oct 2013

Similar to "Kick Ass" this is the story of a schlub, Rainn Wilson, who after watching a children's show about a Christian superhero decides to himself become a crusader for justice as The Crimson Bolt.

Both films are generally comedies that are also brutally violent, since no one in either film has any actual superpowers, but while "Kick Ass" smoothed over the violence with Guy Ritchie-like stylistics, "Super" instead handles the violence with uncomfortable realism, which works early on the the film, but does not in the final act of the film.

Tonally, "Super" is all over the place and is much to the film's detriment. Wilson plays a dope who's wife, Liv Tyler, leaves him for a shady strip club owner/crime lord, Kevin Bacon.

Lost and depressed, and seeking some sort of justice, Wilson becomes The Crimson Bolt, fighting evil in his homemade costume and with a plumbers wrench. He also teams up with the always charming Ellen Page, a comic book store clerk who become his sidekick, Bolty.

It is kind of a story of redemption of a loser, a story of revenge, a story of finding love, a story of a man unsure of his visions, a story of someone just lashing out at everything wrong in the world and other plot threads and ideas that aren't fully fleshed out.

Despite all this, Wilson and Page are a lot of fun to watch on screen and writer/director James Gunn does create some very good moments and really does create characters that you care about and are rooting for.

Besides, Wilson, Page, Tyler and Bacon, you also get Michael Rooker as one of Bacon's henchmen, Linda Cardellini in a bit part, Nathan Fillian as "The Holy Avenger" and Rob Zombie as the voice of God.

It's a very hit or miss film, but Wilson and Page really carry the film across the finish line and make it worth watching, although I would recommend an earlier offbeat superhero film Gunn wrote, "The Specials" over this one.

And if you're looking for a film about someone righting all the wrongs of society, no matter how big or small, watch Bob Goldthwait's "God Bless America" instead.