Tom Reviews "Super"

Tom's Corner:



Super
(2010, James Gunn, director)

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!


Lately, very few movies have impressed me. I'd watched a few and they had so little meat that I couldn't say much about them. That all changed tonight, when I watched James Gunn's “Super.” This was quite possibly one of the best films to come out of the U.S. in a long while. This also marks what I believe is the first superhero action/dark comedy EVER.

Our cast is well known to movie and TV fans. Rainn Wilson plays Frank D'Arbo, alias the Crimson Bolt. Wilson is just brilliant in this role. I never watch “The Office” but I loved Wilson in “The Rocker,” however, this role is so odd and different that I wasn't sure he'd be able to pull it off. I am so happy to be proven wrong. Frank is that quintessential weird guy who never fit in anywhere in life, until he meets Sarah (Liv Tyler), a recovering addict. She falls for him, and the two marry. Later, she leaves him for drug dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Have I mentioned recently how much I love Bacon as a villain? Oh yeah, I have. Bacon plays the best villains; he can go from logical and plotting to maniacal and unpredictable in seconds, and you'll completely buy it. His “minions” are somewhat cookie-cutter, but Michael Rooker plays one (and who doesn't love to hate the man who played Mr. Svenning in “Mallrats?”).

Later, after falling into a depressed stupor, Frank has a vision in which christian television star the Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) tells him he's been touched by the hand of God. Frank decides to become the Crimson Bolt, a superhero. After a few humorously pathetic attempts and one crushing defeat, Frank goes to his local comic shop and Libby (Ellen Page), a clerk there, helps him research non powered superheroes. Now armed with a pipe wrench, Frank goes out to kick a little ass. And lo, ass is kicked!

Of course, Frank tries to go too far too fast and rescue his wife, which leads to his being shot and having to go to Libby for help. She decides to become Boltie, his sidekick. There are some moments between them where you can cut the sexual tension with a knife. After a few hilarious hits and misses (and a truly disturbing scene which I will not even hint at), Frank and Libby go to rescue Sarah from Jacques' mansion. But does she want to be rescued?

This movie amazed me. The violence was realistic, to the point of being unexpectedly so. You feel sort of bad for Frank's victims...well, not really, but damn, a wrench to the skull must hurt, and in some scenes, you can almost feel it. Also, you begin to wonder if Frank is really being given visions, or is he just insane? The movie hits you in the gut with emotion, and this is due in no small part to the smart, witty dialogue and Rainn Wilson's clipped, grim and gritty comic style narration. We witness Frank go from a directionless loser to a man with a mission and a purpose. The entire cast deserves high praise. Go and see this movie. It will leave you thinking long afterward.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Trailer

TV Spot

Deleted Scene

Behind the Scenes

Making of the Main Titles

“How to Fight Crime” Featurette

Commentary by James Gunn and Rainn Wilson