Review of Super (2010) by Robert T — 21 Feb 2012

In the aftermath of Kick Ass, all these ordinary guys as superhero movies just aren't doing it for me. Defendor was earnest enough, but didn't really seem to step it up, and this followed in the same footsteps. While they both took a similar concept on, they ultimately haven't been able to maintain the fun of their predecessor. And from the guy who brought us the hilariously entertaining Slither, I was disappointed. Granted, it tries to break the mould with a truly bleak atmosphere running through the veins of James Gunn's parody of the genre, and it's attempts at creating some kind of spiritual journey as a sub plot are to be admired, but the movie very quickly runs out of ideas and instead resorts to ultra violent action and rather routine and idiotic comedy in its attempts to maintain focus.

It doesn't work, and by the time you reach the final act, where all attempts at creating a comedic spin on the genre take a deadly, and rather gruesome turn, you care little for the protagonist, characterised poorly by Rainn Wilson who appears unable to break beyond his finest hour in The Office, instead forming a vapid and indeed dull character bent on winning his drug addict wife back from Kevin Bacon's gangster and his thugs. It's a shame, as there are definitely some good ideas here, and it could have been a genre defining parody, but unfortunately the fun just seems to dissipate as the movie progresses. Where you think, "Now it's going to take off", it doesn't, it moves at a very slow pace, and then slowly the fun grinds to a halt by the conclusion. Then to top it off, adding the sentimental happy ending was unnecessary. However, I will give it this, when it does work, it's fantastic, with some disturbingly funny flashes of brilliance, and it's ambitious in it's efforts, but unfortunately there just wasn't enough of it to make it truly memorable (faces being blown off nonwithstanding...).