After his wife leaves him for a drug dealer, an ordinary man
becomes a vigilante who attacks lawbreakers with a pipe wrench. COMEDY/CRIME
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Super (2010)Written and Directed by James Gunn
Starring Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Sean Gunn |
Super is not your average superhero movie. In fact, it's the kind of movie that's difficult to fit into just one category. Only the unique and twisted mind of James Gunn could come up with a movie like this, and while I did enjoy it more upon a second viewing, I can understand why a lot of people were put off by it. I mean, this is a movie about a vigilante who beats people half to death with a pipe wrench for things like dealing drugs or even cutting in line. And he's the hero! Rainn Wilson does a lot to make the character of the Crimson Bolt his own, and I think he's a big part of why the film works.
When Frank Darbo's (Wilson) wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a vicious drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), Frank receives a vision from God himself telling Frank to become a costumed hero called the Crimson Bolt. Under the guise of the Crimson Bolt, Frank takes to the streets to stop crime with the ultimate goal of getting his wife back from the thugs who've drugged her up. When he meets the enthusiastic Libby (Ellen Page) who becomes his sidekick Boltie, things kick into overdrive and the film has a massive tonal shift from comedy to action then to heavy-handed drama. It's not the best way to tell a story, but Frank and Libby's dynamic works so well that you get emotionally invested anyway. I think Super is unlike any other superhero movie. It came out the same year as Kick-Ass, which is basically the same movie without the God stuff, but Super holds its own in the genre. It's a cult hit, especially with James Gunn's massive increase in nerd street cred after Guardians of the Galaxy. It sports a killer cast, a unique premise, and makes up for its lack of comedy by being an entertaining watch. |