Super

Starts like silly fun comedy about the guy trying to be a superhero, but it quickly becomes a gory (quite shocking at times) 90's action movie style parody, with a twist of bizarre psychological characters that seem funny but they're actually creepy most of the times. Ellen Page steals the show with her crazy clowny character. It has it's flaws, right, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise and an entertaining movie. Definitely recommend it to indie movies lovers

As stated, dark and twisted. Good cast and great work. I really liked it and it was what I expected. Give it a go.

In many ways, SUPER is a more successful film than KICK ASS, a movie with which it shares many qualities: they're both black comedies about ordinary people becoming superheroes to help the innocent and fight evil. The thing with KICK ASS is that it forgot it was a spoof somewhere along the way and become exactly what it was previously parodying; SUPER, which looks ultra-low budget in comparison, never forgets and stays true to itself throughout.

SUPER is shot in a kind of faux documentary style that really works. As with most comedies, it's a mixture of gags that hit and miss. The ones that miss are the overly familiar low brow jokes about sex and vomiting, but the ones that hit more than make up for those; my favourite scene is the one where the Crimson Bolt squats in a dark alley, waiting for criminals to show up. He wait, and waits, and waits...

Rainn Wilson, a hitherto unknown-to-me actor, acquits himself well with the role and, crucially, proves to be a sympathetic hero. Ellen Page, whose presence I typically find irritating in a movie, is a delight as his over-excited sidekick. Kevin Bacon contributes the best and most confident performance I've seen from him in years, and you wonder what he's been doing all this time. There's a nice little role for cult favourite Michael Rooker, too, which is the icing on the cake.

One thing I particularly liked about SUPER was the realism in regards to the extreme violence: there are no bloodless hits and bullet holes here, just real-life injuries: when people are whacked they bleed and bleed copiously, and bullet damage is horrendous rather than superficial. It's a refreshing change, and distinctly non-Hollywood. For that, SUPER deserves kudos.

This is a 'love it' or 'hate it' movie. Like this reviewer, a small fraction of the audience will find themselves in between. The general public will either love this or hate it, depending on their expectations in comparing this movie to "Kick-Ass"; and it will always be compared with "Kick-Ass". Both films are about ordinary people donning costumes to fight crime. However, this is where the comparison ends. Written and directed by James Gunn, this is not a movie for just anyone. Keeping in mind his "Dawn of the Dead" and "Slither", it becomes evident that Gunn has intended for this movie to target a specific segment of the movie going populace, specifically those who enjoy very dark humor.

A cook by profession, Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) is sad man with a depressing past and a feeble excuse of an existence. His greatest moments in life is marrying a recovering drug addict, Sarah (Liv Tyler) and helping a cop catch a purse snatcher. These events are so overwhelming that Frank even symbolizes its meaning through crayon sketches. Then things turn sour again. Sarah relapses into drug addiction and even leaves Frank for Jacques (Kevin Bacon), her drug dealer. Attempts to get his wife back results in insults and beatings, until the day Frank has an epiphany. Having realized that the only way to recuperate his wife is to punish drug pushers, Frank becomes a furious vigilante, and soon gains media attention as "The Crimson Bolt".

As an independent production, "Super" has its moments as a believable and funny film, with some good acting by the likes of some top actors. Although the plot, acting and twisted humor are the highlights of the film, it never comes together as a whole. Like Kick-Ass, the story pits average Joes as superheroes but without super powers. But unlike the aforementioned film, the vigilantes here are almost psychopathic. And yes, there is more than one. Last seen together in Juno, Ellen Page joins Frank as "Boltie", a sensuous side-kick bordering on lunacy. Together, they are more dangerous than the sleaziest of dark alley crooks. As actors, both D'Arbo and Page are scary, funny and insane. In opposing roles are Kevin Bacon and Michael Rooker as his side-kick. Bacon is the same as in all his antagonistic roles, 80% threat and 20 % deed. My biggest disappointment is the underplayed role of Liv Tyler. Gorgeous as she is, Tyler's role (and character) is a negligible two pennies worth that could have been done without.

Coming back to Gunn and his attempt in making an off-beat, albeit, dark comedy, I can say his approach is acceptable in starting an offshoot in the superhero genre. By his words, there are thousands of bank heist movies, so why not a few movies about superheroes without super powers.

If you haven't seen "Kick-Ass", I would suggest you watch that film first. If by then you are ready for some in-your-face violence (literally), a twisted and absurdly dark plot with a questionable conclusion, then, and only then would I suggest you try this movie. But don't say you weren't warned. In not calling it tasteless, this film does have a certain odd taste to it. It's like curiously savoring a medium-rare steak and then wondering halfway "what if the meat is human flesh!?!"

It is hard to rate independent/alternative films, because although I'd give this one a 10/10, it would seem unfair to put it beside movie classics. On the other hand, I totally enjoyed every second of it. The story is both bizarre and great, Rainn Wilson delivers a strangely adorable performance, and the film as a whole is original and brilliant. A cult film and definitely one of my all time favorites.