Super (2010) Review

Next up is James Gunn’s Super, probably my favourite and the most criminally underrated movie of 2010 (46% on Rotten Tomatoes?!). Since its only out on limited release not many people have seen it, so I’m going to try and keep this brief and spoiler free.
The main reason Super didn’t really take off commercially is because it is a marketers nightmare. It’s a hard movie to recommend to your friends as well because there’s no concise way to explain to them just what this film is about. Most people seem to assume it is yet another superhero parody. Kick Ass staring Dwight Schrute, something that could not be further from the truth. Super is one hard movie to explain. It is something you just have to see for yourself to truly understand. This movie constantly changes gears and takes you to places you never saw coming. I assure you it is unlike anything you have ever seen before - gloriously dark, powerful and disturbing and makes Kick Ass look PG-13. 

"Say Kick Ass one more time...."

Super is a movie about Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson), a normal guy whose wife (Liv Tyler) has fallen into the clutches of a big time drug dealer (Kevin Bacon). After dabbling in depression, Frank has a vision where he feels he has been touched by God and decides to become a superhero. Straight off the bat, what’s interesting here is that his wife was not kidnapped or forced in any way; she just happens to like drugs a lot so went with it. This is just one of the many moral dilemmas Super throws up at the audience. Frank has convinced himself Sarah was stolen from him, when it can easily be argued that she chose to leave him for someone more “interesting”. Is his motivation behind becoming a superhero a noble quest to fight crime or a deluded attempt to forcefully get his wife back from someone who, coincidentally, happens to be a criminal? 

"Beware crime!"

So, based on some shaky moral ground and questionable religious overtones, Frank becomes the Crimson Bolt and the movie takes off in a whole new direction. Whereas Frank is depressed and weak, the Crimson Bolt is psychotic and merciless. He takes vigilante justice to the extreme, handing out gloriously over the top beatings (with his trusty wrench) to anyone who HE feels crosses the line (pun intended). Lots of people have drawn parallels with Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle here and that’s a pretty fair comparison to an extent. Frank thinks he has been chosen by God to become the Crimson Bolt. He carries out his actions with a certain sense of entitlement and, in his mind, truly believes he’s not doing anything wrong or out of line (no pun intended). What you expected to be a good intentioned “help fight crime” routine, quickly turns into a “crazy, deluded psychopath drunk with power” routine. However, his end goal still involves bringing an evil man to justice, so audience members will be split regarding the degree to which they support Frank’s actions.

A deeply disturbed human being

The theme of morality is one that is prominent throughout the film, constantly challenging your perceptions of right and wrong, pushing the boundaries of what you consider to be acceptable. The cast are all terrific, but a special mention must go to Rainn Wilson, who delivers a superb performance encompassing a whole range of emotions that makes it hard not to root for him. There is no way you can watch this movie and still think of him as “that guy from the Office”. 

If you're squeamish, best not watch Super

Super is not for the faint hearted. In fact, it can be quite disturbing. The violence is extreme and the overall tone is dark. It is bold and a great change of pace from the usual mainstream fare. It takes a familiar genre and completely transforms it into something unrecognisable. A fantastic, powerful film that will stay with you long after you are done with it.

Score: 9/10