Super

Movie Information

The Story: An everyday schlub decides to become a superhero when his wife leaves him for a drug dealer. The Lowdown: Yeah, it's occasionally clunky, but it's also a very funny and disturbing film that will stay with you long after slicker superhero movies have evaporated.
Score:

Genre: Dark Super Hero Satire
Director: James Gunn (Slither)
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Michael Rooker, Andre Royo
Rated: NR

I caught James Gunn’s Super at ActionFest and I’m glad I did, because this is a film that needs to be seen with an audience—the right kind of audience—and that’s what I got. I don’t think I’ve ever before seen an audience break into applause over an opening credit sequence. And I think it was deserved applause, but that doesn’t make it any less unusual. However, Super is a very unusual film. It’s also an imperfect one and one that is guaranteed to polarize audiences. Even though this audience seemed to get it, I can easily imagine a lot of people outright hating the movie. I’m just not one of them.

I also suspect that opinions will vary on what’s right and what’s wrong with Super. I find the first part of the film a little awkward, a little too proud of its indie cred, and a little too convinced of the intrinsic amusement value of Rainn Wilson. I know some people have objected to the film’s tonal shifts—calling them abrupt and the film uneven. That I don’t agree with, but then I think much of the film’s value lies in the fact that it’s extremely disturbing and it requires those shifts. I also think the shifts are much less abrupt if you’re paying attention to the movie’s undercurrents. This is not a simple comedy about a sadsack of a cuckolded husband who randomly decides to become a superhero. There’s something much deeper at work.

Wilson plays Frank D’Arbo, a cook in a greasy spoon diner. He’s improbably married to Sarah (Liv Tyler), who is plainly out of his league and clearly not happy with the marriage. It comes as no surprise to learn that she’s a recovering drug addict, who ill-advisedly took up with Frank because he was nice—and now she’s bored, has started using again, and is ready to ditch him for her drug-dealer boyfriend, Jacques (Kevin Bacon). This—combined with exposure to a stunningly cheesy show about The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) on the All Jesus Network and a supposed divine revelation—is what prompts Frank to want to become a superhero, despite his complete lack of super powers.

With a little unknowing assistance from the girl at the comic book store, Libby (Ellen Page), he creates his comic-book self—the Crimson Bolt—and armed with a pipe-wrench (his weapon of choice) sets out to clean up the town. It’s not long before the obviously unbalanced Libby figures out who the Crimson Bolt is and foists herself on him as his sidekick, Boltie. However, she quickly discovers that just waiting for crime to happen is boring, and soon learns that even the kick of actual crime-fighting isn’t the non-stop excitement she envisioned from a diet of comic books. What they don’t depict—referred to as the stuff “between the panels”—is pretty dull, too. It will not stay that way, and that’s where the film takes a dark turn.

Saying much more about the events of Super would be counterproductive to the film. The less you know going in, the better. I’m even hesitant to say much more—and you might want to stop reading now and check back later when you’ve seen it—and you should.  Saying that the film is funny, seriously disconcerting and ultimately heart-breaking may be saying too much. Not Rated, but contains violence, some gore, language, sexuality, drugs and adult themes.

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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13 thoughts on “Super

  1. kjh.childers

    Ken – I just love it when you post this sort of review … your art of persuasion just appeals to my passion for film. I look forward to seeing it Asap!

  2. Ken Hanke

    I hope it lives up to my enthusiasm for you. I rarely get the chance to see a movie twice theatrically these days. I think the last time I did was The Ghost Writer, but I’m pretty determined to catch this again this weekend.

  3. Ken Hanke

    I agree. This looks like a Kick-Ass film!

    But if that implies it’s like Kick-Ass, I understand it’s not very like it (though I have still yet to see Kick-Ass, so I’m going on what I’m told here).

  4. Ken Hanke

    Two pick-of-the-weeks, is this a first?

    I think it’s a third — maybe even a fourth — but don’t ask me what the others were. One of them was fairly recently, though. It’s pretty rare all the same.

  5. thegoldenwalrus

    I just saw Super and I have to agree completely with what you just wrote. I’m so surprised by the bad reviews. I can’t compare this movie to defendor, special and kickass. But I do have to say that I felt like Super had way more interesting characters. Great review!

  6. EthanHawkings

    The drama in this movie is really good but kick-ass was more fun and the characters were far more likable

  7. Ken Hanke

    The drama in this movie is really good but kick-ass was more fun and the characters were far more likable

    I think that’s the point of this one.

  8. Pat D

    Wow. I really have a feeling of love/hate about this movie. Some of the writing is extemely good AND bad (often in the same breath). A couple of highlights for me: Kevin Bacon’s car and the line-cutter.

  9. Ken Hanke

    I can point you to another 35 positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, if you’re having trouble.

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