Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-20 05:55:03

Super is, well...SUPER.

This review is from: Super (DVD) James Gunn is an under-appreciated dude. He wrote the screenplay for the Dawn of the Dead remake, and the only thing you ever hear people say about that movie is how much they don't like their zombies to run.He also wrote and directed the film 'Slither' and the only thing people say is "What? Is that a movie?"The problem here is that the screenplay for Dawn of the Dead is awesome, and the movie 'Slither' is one of the few truly successful marriages of the Horror and Comedy genres...the other luminaries being An American Werewolf in London and Shaun of the Dead.Which brings me to Super. I should warn you: I AM THAT GUY. I loves me some James Gunn. PG Porn? Sign me up! Humanzee? Yes, please. Super? HELL YES.I drove a long way to see the flick, and ordered it the day it became available so that the blu-ray landed in my lap on the day it was released. I went in expecting a fun comedy with some gore. I didn't get that. I got a lot more. 'Super' is not 'Kick-Ass'. It's not Watchmen. It is it's own thing. It is SUPER...the story of a schmoe who has one thing in his life: A lovely wife that is WAY out of his league. I'll spare the time of recounting the plot (You can find that anywhere) so I'll just key you in on the high points:Rainn Wilson: The dude is amazing in this. I've always liked the guy, but he always seemed to be some permutation of his Dwight Schrute character. That's not a bad thing, but you could always tell there was MORE. In Super, you get it. In spades. He stretches as an actor and while the funny is present and accounted for, there is a surprising depth to the character. There are 2 moments when I found myself profoundly moved...without ruining it, I'll just say 'The Prayer' and when he's telling the big bad guy what you DO NOT DO. I found myself transported from a guy watching a flick to a participant in the character's world...and identifying with him,even at his craziest, based on the Prayer. Gotta wrap this up...all in all, the flick is not what you expect; it's better. More real than Kick-ass (and more violent) and funnier than just about everything else that got released around it. Pick this up, and then pick up Slither. And then go watch the Dawn of the Dead remake, and quit griping about running zombies.

Terry Roehrig II 2012-05-19 15:01:49

A very fun superhero w/o powers dark comedy! Very bizarre!

An everyday nobody dresses up and fights crime in his neighborhoodbecause it's 'the right thing to do' in Super, a very dark comedydirected by James Gunn (Slither). I guarantee you that this movie willbe unlike almost anything you've ever seen before. Coming out ofnowhere with it's zany randomness, I enjoyed every WTF-moment and hadone hell of a good time just trying to figure out where this movie wasgoing next. Frank D'Arbo (Wilson) can count on one hand how many perfect moments hehas had in his life. Two. One of them was marrying his wife, Sarah(Tyler), a former drug addict turned clean just for him. Out of theblue one day, a very nice man named Jacques (Bacon) comes to Frank'shouse, looking for Sarah. Frank doesn't know where she is at, but hefeels obliged to welcome the man into his home and cook him somebreakfast. The man leaves after complimenting Frank on his egg-cookingabilities... five days later, Sarah is gone, too. She has packed up andmoved on. As it turns out, that nice man isn't so nice after all, he'skeeping Sarah on the needle and always with him. After failed attemptsat confronting Jacques at his place of business and telling a cop(Henry) that Sarah's been kidnapped... Frank takes matters into his ownhands after watching The Holy Avenger (Fillion) on TV and having avision of himself being touched on the brain by the fingertip of God(Zombie) himself. He gets some supplies and even gets some insideknowledge from Libby (Page), who works down at the corner comic bookshop. Once he's finished with his crime-fighting outfit, he's knownonly as The Crimson Bolt. His main mission is to get his wife back fromthe evil drug lords, but first he has to train... and what better wayto do that than some local thugs on the street? When Libby finallycatches on to what Frank is up to, she confronts him and becomes hiskid sidekick, Boltie. Together, The Crimson Bolt and Boltie tell crimeto, "Shut up!"This movie will, no doubt, go over a lot of people's heads. Yes, itsounds similar to other movies where people with no powers dress up assuperheros and try to tackle crime themselves (Kick-Ass, Defendor) butthere's something deeper here than what's on the surface. Here, let mebe frank about Frank -- he's a nutjob. Not only does he attack dopepushers and child molesters, but he also attacks people with a pipewrench that butt in line. His world view is certainly askew. His bestintentions may be at heart, but Frank hasn't exactly been treated nicehis whole life. What may be considered just plain rude to some people,he treats as if it were a crime. And yes, he is a lovable, likablecharacter. Compared to the rest of the characters in this film, Frankis the purest of them all -- sure, he has his own wrongdoings, but hisare minimal to what's being done around him.Without a doubt, this movie has some of the most bizarre andwhacked-out imagery of any other movie you'll see this year. We get totake a peek inside Frank's head when the cop comes to his door, we getto experience some of his visions (from Jesus sitting on his wall tohearing the voice of God when he meets Sarah) and how he views certainsituations that would certainly differ from the average person.I loved every single crazy frame of this movie with the exception ofEllen Page as Libby/Boltie. Her performance was so manic and high-strung, it made me feel as if something were going to come out frombehind my couch and attack me. I didn't feel that the character neededto be this extreme. I understand her excitement and pure giddiness whenit came to crime-fighting, however, she acted more like an 8-year-oldthan a 22-year-old. I'm not sure if her part was written like that orif she felt the need to add it to her character... whatever the reason,it distracted me from enjoying her character. Although, when shedressed up as Boltie and got all gooshy, you didn't hear one singlenegative comment come out of me -- just sit back and enjoy the show.The movie is not what you think it is -- it's a very dark comedy withsome really messed up stuff in it and the entire cast (with theexception of Page) just makes the story pop. If you think you knowwhere the movie is headed, take another look, because chances are youdon't.More reviews at www.soveryterry.comFinal Grade: B+

2012-05-17 05:54:46

great movie well done

this is a dark violent comedy and like nothing i have ever seen before.the cast was great and the story was awesome. a real must see.

darklydreamingrahu 2012-05-16 20:23:00

Lost potential..

Super could have been really good. Though the premise isn't new, thenihilistic way "Frank" is presented had promise. The narration isbrutally honest and cold which I like. The cinematography wasn't badand the slick editing is at times rather comedic. I can even dig theoffbeat style of humor and strange placement of comic book actionbubbles. The real problem is the characters are flat, the story weavessenseless scenes together incoherently, and the villain is weak andunconvincing. The transformation of Frank into a gun wielding badasswith pipe bombs and projectile razor blades is rushed and lackssensibility. Kevin Bacon sleepwalks through his role as a drug dealerand isn't in the least bit convincing or scary. Liv Tyler might as wellnot even be in this movie and her character is extremely unlikabletherefore you don't even care if she gets saved or not. This is by farEllen Page's worst performance. While it looks like she is trying andhaving a little fun, she comes off as highly annoying and downrightstupid. We all know she is not stupid in real life and she is very sexy(which is underutilized), but this character doesn't fit into the movieat all and every time she is on screen you want her to be off of it.All the other roles in the movie are poorly executed and it all justleaves a sour taste in your mouth. Also for those who said that this ismore violent and dark than the far superior "Kick Ass" are simplymisleading you. This one is a joke in comparison. Most likely those arethe people who can't accept mainstream movies and feel artsy and coolraving about an IFC production. Truth is comparing this movie to"Defendor" or "Kick-Ass" is futile. This isn't even in the same league. While there are redeeming qualities in "Super", it suffers from toomany letdowns for me to rate it higher than a 5. I feel that rating ispretty generous actually. "Slither" was a much better film and let'shope to see another one like that out of this director. 5/10

2012-05-09 00:22:43

totally radical!

A lonely Christian is forced into being a Superhero to get his wife back from a bunch of drug dealers. His wrath is severe, he bludgeons his prey with a monkey wrench (that's what that thing is called, right?), although he usually doesn't kill 'em. The superhero concept is so appealing as it is, you just need a team of non-hack filmmakers to pull it off in a life affirming manner as in X-Men, Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2. This film isn't really meant to compete with those movies, since it's more of a comedy (look at the cover, where is says "Shut up, crime!" You know that's a joke right?) as well as kind of an anti-hero movie. The hero in this movie is a little more stable than Robert De Niro's TAXI DRIVER, and he's also more good-natured, which I guess you'd already know since he becomes a super hero, but anyway...he doesn't go by this "I'm no better than you" philosophy, which may seem "Anti-Christian" to some, i.e.: those who "get" the passages about forgiveness etc (which some churches don't seem to want to pay too much attention to), but it still makes for some "wow" entertainment, especially living in a world where the death penalty can be carried out even in the presence of reasonable doubt and the justice system lets brutal killers remain free b/c the victim had it coming...I'm getting off topic though; the film isn't a very logical one, some of the action sequences are a little unbelievable, even in slow motion the bad guys could've fired 2 or 3 shots while the hero was swinging his arms back so he could throw his bombs forward, and as I indicated before, there is a kind of hypocrisy in the hero's actions, which I suppose makes him human; after all, we all WANT to kill those who do us wrong. If the hero in this movie were real, I would suggest he at least do some hard prison time... I should note that I don't even remember the last film, aside from this, that I really enjoyed enough to sit through it all the way. It did get a little bit tedious watching the hero figure out his plan, but I don't remember it getting painfully boring to watch, and I suppose I've gained some wisdom in the past few years, attempting to add patience to my list of things to do. Not a GREAT movie, but certainly a not-bad way to spend 100 minutes of the wayward film goers' time...

groovebuster 2012-05-08 15:35:59

Still amazed... about how stupid this movie is!

I watched this movie on DVD last night. It didn't make it to the movietheaters where I live and and I am thankful for it.Usually a review should be started by a summary. Unfortunately thismovie doesn't provide enough substance to summarize anything, so I'llskip this part.At first, I want to express my astonishment how anybody could vote withmore than one star for this movie. Oh, I forgot... People who don'tgive a 9 or a 10 are just too stupid to "understand" the movie. Theproblem is just that, neither I am stupid, nor is there anything tounderstand. It is a just big pile of non-sense, the plot, thecharacters and their development, just everything. I don't want torepeat everything that was already said by other reviewers who gave themovie a 1. They all pointed it out correctly already.No, a movie isn't a masterpiece just because it is "different" or showsviolence in an exaggerated way. I love movies that tell a story, alsoin a different way. But not like this. As always there are those, whothink that they are "so" intellectual by liking this movie, justbecause it is "different", making up all kinds of reasons to make themfeel superior and special.I think the movie shows perfectly how screwed up and schizophrenic theNorth American society and film-making industry is. Violence is shownin a very graphic and gory way. But the "sex" scenes are justsuggested. Why not going the whole nine yards then? For example, whynot showing graphically how Boltie is raping her hero with some realgenitals and some real body fluids? Not that family movie style sex,when Rainn Wilson still has his boxers on after they are finished, noteven having an erection? You can show how a head is half blown off, butnot the wonderful act of love and reproduction? You can show acompletely stoned person and drug abuse, but not "making love"? It iscompletely dishonest. "Porn" is bad!!! Violence is OK...! Yeah,right... Sorry for being cynical.I don't need senseless violence to enjoy a movie that tells a goodstory. Same goes for sex in movies. It is just not necessary to showeverything. Doing so doesn't change a bad movie into a good one and theother way around. And while I love good humor: Violence is not funny!Period! People who think otherwise should see their doctors for furtherexamination.This movie stole one and half hours of my life time and left me with abad taste in my mouth. The producer should be forced to paycompensation to all viewers. And the actors should be ashamed to haveplayed in that movie, if they were not forced at gunpoint.I better stop ranting. Just a quote of my wife, as she hated the moviejust as much as I did: "I always thought Ellen Page is a cool actress,but now that I saw her in a really stupid movie like this, I lost a lotof my respect for her!"Amen.

TheGOLDENWALRUS 2012-05-06 23:34:56

This one stuck with me for a while

Just like Kickass, Defendor, Special, etc., Super was just as enjoyableand still able to stand out and add new material to the Super hero without no powers group. It's more violent than the others and has laughout loud moments but what exactly is the tone of this film? We know theplot. Frank (Wilson) becomes the Crimson Bolt after his wife (Tyler) isliterally stolen by the drug-lord pimpish Jacques (Bacon). Afterwatching the corny bible action hero The Holy Avenger (Fillion) he goeson a quest to hide behind dumpsters and wait for some crime to happen.Equipped with a monkey wrench, he eventually teams up with Libby/Boltie(Page).At first this movie looks like a low budget version of the filmsannounced in the beginning but as we progress into the movie our twoheroes become more and more violent and literally insane especiallyLibby which was creepily played by Page. When it comes down to almostbeating a man to death and even his annoying girlfriend for cutting inline, the dark comedy really escalates. We ask the question "Why are werooting for these two?" We should be labeling them as kind of patheticor psychotic.It's nice to see Rain Wilson do a film like this. I didn't see Dwightfrom the office but a depressed man who simply wants his life back.Frank is very religious (watching the Holy Avenger played brilliantlyby Fillion - the few scenes he was in) and tries to ask God what's hisnext step in life. We know that he was a "geek" in is younger years buthow does he land Tyler - which is answered in the film.Page is a very underrated actress. She picks her roles wisely. Once ina while finding that blockbuster (Inception) but this film you know shewasn't paid much and same to the rest of the cast. But her characterLibby is very innocent and that plays along well with the message thatGunn might be trying to establish. She's only twenty two. We don't knowtoo much about her except she hangs out with a bunch of pot smokers.She doesn't seem to care about the direction she's going but just inthe moment.I've never seen Slither. I hear it's also a dark comedy but the reviewsare split in half usually asking the question "What is Gunn trying todo in this movie?" The unusual shift changes of comedy and drama hasyou wondering but those who can answer the question will probably endup enjoying this film. At first when I left the theater I was happy andupbeat. But during the hour and a half ride home - I believe I figuredit out. I was actually kind of depressed that I did. Violence isn'tsomething to laugh at but you can't help to in this film. Is thissuppose to be a dark comedy? I didn't find Taxi Driver funny (whichseems to be a closer comparison than the list of films I mentioned).Check this little film out. 8.5/10 or B+

Stefanescu Mircea 2012-05-06 10:09:42

a ****ed up mix between Kick-Ass and Defendor

Super - 7.5/10Frank D'Arbo is a 40yr old man who doesn't have much going for himexcept his beautiful wife (a recovering alcoholic and drug addictplayed by Liv Tyler). However she gets taken away from him by a localdrug dealer (Kevin Bacon giving yet another brilliant performance)which causes our hero's world to spin out of control. Watching too muchJapanese cartoon and religious channels can leave a mark on a guy andhe has a hallucination in which God chooses him to do with bidding. Andso the Crimson Bolt is born. A wrenching wielding 'super-hero' out tobring justice into the world.He goes out cracking heads (literally) and kicking the ass of drugdealers, child molesters and ... people who cut in line (they deserveit the most). Along the way he's joined by a 22yr old girl who works ina comic book shop and wants to becomes his sidekick. The two of themwill go out to fight crime and in the end take on the drug dealer andhis goons to bring Frank's wife home.First of all the pacing is really good for the most part. The moviestarts out strong with flashbacks and voice overs giving enough of aback story to get the main plot going. It starts to sag in the middlebut it gets back into speed towards the final act. The characters andacting are one of the strong points of this movie.Frank (played by Dwight from the Office) is a loser who only managed towin his wife over because she was going through a rough period in herlife and he was there for her. One couldn't help but empathize with theguy as he is willing to go to any lengths to get her back.I was never impressed by Liv Tyler as an actress nor did I find herthat attractive as some people made her out to be. However both ofthese changed with this movie.Kevin Bacon plays his sleazy role perfectly. You want to hate the guybut he's such a charming and cool character that it's hard to do that.Lastly there's Ellen Paige as the foul mouthed, hyperactive psychoticsidekick Boltie. She's likable in the beginning but the more the moviegoes on the more I started to care less and less for her character. Iwent from "heh, she's kind of cool" to "holy **** she belongs intherapy as she clearly has far too many screws loose".And speaking of loose screws the movie takes the violence to an insanelevel. B-movie fans should be pleased, regular people might feeldivided. Going in I knew this movie was gonna be gory as hell and Iwasn't bothered by the violence even though at times I couldn't exactlyget behind Frank's actions. I mean it's one thing when you attack a guywho's cutting in line even to the point where you crack his skull butwhen a woman tries to come in and help and you hit her in the face witha wrench ... yeah, I can't say I was feeling for the hero at that time.As far as the directing goes I wasn't very impressed by it but thenagain this movie was made with a very small budget and they have somecreative scenes here and there (the intro especially was excellent).Ienjoyed the soundtrack much more.This movie is a mix between action, comedy and drama. So how well tothose elements fare? As an action movie it's pretty poor. There are nospectacular scenes here just moments of bone crunching violence exceptfor the big finale which also showed the director wasn't mastering thetone of the movie. I mean as Frank was killing his way through all thegoons you got all these comic book exclamations (POW, SPLAT, KABOOM)but they couldn't have felt more out of place. The movie didn't setitself in a pseudo-reality at the middle of reality and comic bookland. It took place in the real world and while those exclamationsdidn't feel so out of place earlier in the movie since they wereplaying it for laughs they couldn't have been a worse fit here. I mean********* SPOILER!!! *********we just saw Boltie getting half of her face blown off and Frank's wifewas just getting raped. And you're setting up these comic book touches?No ... just ... no.********* END OF SPOILER *********As far the comedy goes the movie never made me laugh. There were manyamusing scene and a lot of WTF ones (and not always the good kindeither) but it wasn't nearly as funny as I was expecting it to be.When it comes to the drama it's clear that this is the backbone of thismovie. It holds all the pieces in place and it is the one aspect of themove that really packs a punch. The ending was very good and Frank'semotional journey is the main reason to watch this.In the end this is more Defendor than kick-ass. More drama than fun,over the top action comedy. More of a real world story with'superheroes' than a superhero story with real world people. It'sdefinitely worth checking out.

2012-05-06 00:13:36

'Shut Up Crime!'

This great film has drawn many comparisons to `Kick Ass', and yes it has a made up Super Hero and side kick and home made costumes but they are both great in their owns ways. The basic plot is that Frank D'Arbo (Riann Wilson) is a mild mannered short order chef at a greasy cafe. His wife is a recovering drug and alcohol addict Sarah (Liv Tyler). They met when she started waiting tables at his cafe. We join them as she introduces some new friends to Frank who are all into their narcotics and alcohol etc. She doesn't just fall off the wagon she takes a triple jump off of it and lands in a liquor mart! One of them is Jacques (Kevin Bacon)a self centred gun toting drug dealer who likes to hang out at a bar called `Bare Assets', I think semi clad ladies might wander about inside you know!Frank comes home one day and finds that she is gone, he asks the police to help, but they point out that she has not been kidnapped but has left him. So Frank gets inspired by a television evangelical Super Hero' The Holy Avenger' (Thanks Jesus!) to become a Super Hero. Not knowing where to begin he visits a comic book store where he meets Libby (a potty mouthed Ellen Page). Soon he discovers the hero inside and things start to roller coast as he becomes `The Crimson Bolt'!This is a genuinely funny film, with some painfully funny slapstick and lines that are so cheesy you just wish you had said it first. We have a rubbish car that is transformed into a Super Hero Mobil merely by changing its name to `The Bolt Mobile!' Sorry you have to put exclamation marks after anything to do with Super Heroes - it's the law! See I told you. We also have issues of addiction, love, some severely unfunny violence and a helluva lot of warmth, as well as some Super Hero Sex! (I am getting bored with the exclamation marks now).Written and Directed by James Gunn this is probably his best film yet, mind you he did do Scooby Doo so not a massive amount of competition. This then is for fans of comedy, Super Heroes and just decent well made films and it proves you do not need a massive budget. All the acting is brilliant and you do get the feeling that they all must have had a blast making this, so Mr Gunn ignore any of the detractors as I can't wait for your next one. Sorry I meant to put an exclamation mark on the end of that last sentence but the key has jammed, if only I had a sort of Super Hero pen to unwedge it...

2012-05-05 11:52:33

Go with it!

If you are willing to give this gorilla style indie movie a chance, there are rewards to be had. SUPER challenges all the boring film stereotypes and takes you a twisting roller coaster ride through every type of emotion and genre. This is "Tonal-Shifts-R-Us" so buckle up and go with the flow. The cast and crew make up for the low budget with their dedication to James Gunn and his wild creation. This movie is for you if you'd like to see something unique instead of the usual bland, formulaic offerings from the bloated Hollywood machine.

proteusphi 2012-04-29 19:34:46

Fantastic, but flawed super hero flick

Super is...well, super! It is a fantastic new entry into the subgenreof "unqualified super heroes" popularized by movies like Special andKickAss. In fact, Super takes a lot of inspiration from KickAss - withits over the top gore and comic violence - while at the same timedrawing the viewer in with new ideas about what it means to be a "superhero." In this case, Super probes deeper than KickAss into the question"What kind of person would actually become a super hero?" Rainn Wilson plays Frank, an awkward, homely looking fry cook whomarried an extremely hot wife. Oh wait...his wife, a recovering drugaddict, has been seduced by a drug dealing crime boss! After a bizarrevision, Frank dons a red costume and begins calling himself the CrimsonBolt! It's time to SHUT UP, Crime! Wilson (who could very aptly voice Batman if he wanted) is marvelous asFrank. He shows the capacity and timing to dive in and out ofside-splitting deadpan humor and heart-wrenching seriousness, almost asif he had a cinematic grappling hook. Puns aside, Wilson is amazing andshows his dramatic range. He is officially one of my favorite actorsnow.Meanwhile Liv Tyler is non-annoying in her role as perpetually comatoseSarah, Frank's wife.Elene Paige is captivating as Crimson Bolt's psychotic side-kick,Boltie. Her slow descent into insanity is believable and disturbing.There's a lot more to Super than first meets the eye. You may have towatch it more than once appreciate its meditations on obsession,morality, and comic book violence. As good at the movie is though, itis marred by some unfortunate directorial decisions in characters andcasting. I would have given Super a 7 out of 10, but for the incessantracism.Nearly all the criminals are people of color. Kevin Bacon, along hishigh-ranking thugs, are, of course, white. And there are some pettystreet criminals who are white. I don't have a problem with blacksbeing shown as criminals, because crime is prevalent in poorer blackcommunities. What I have a problem with is the refusal to show anypositive examples of blacks, save for Frank's fellow fry cooks and acouple students during the ending sequence.There's even a scene where a black male attempts to rape a whitefemale. The white thugs look at each other gravely, remorsefully, asthey allow it to happen...the same thugs who peddle drugs, kill cops incold blood, and gleefully shoot heroine into Liv Taylor's foot, alreadydangerously close to OD'ing. The thought of a black male having sexwith a white female somehow causes them to grow a conscience??Birth of a Nation, anyone? Super is an incredibly deep cinematic ride. I dare say it is morearresting than even KickAss. But at least KickAss had the balls toremove the prejudice against blacks apparent in its source text,creating a more positive film. I give Super a 4 out of 10.

Sam Rij 2012-04-29 10:14:56

It is an original concept although it doesn't seem like it.

I will be outright here. When I watched this movie, I thought I was infor one those movies which you you forget after you see it (keep inmind i hadn't seen the trailer) but it was much more than that. Afterthe obvious protagonist decides to become the superhero, I thought itwas going to be a ripoff of 'KickAss'. However I was wrong again. Thereis much more to it than the superficial story of 'KickAss'. It is achurn of comedy and some kind of sadness.It starts out as a comedy and ends as a comedy, but on the way it givesyou ride which will, in some way, take you away from the comedy. Butall in all it was the an original concept and it is well done fromacting to direction.

2012-04-29 04:30:47

Comedically twisted

This review is from: Super [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I thought this movie was great overall. It was a little twisted and dark, but there were some very hilarious parts that brightened the movie. There are very familiar actors/actresses in this film who all bring substance to the movie. It was shot to give a feel of 'this could really happen'. This movie definitely reminded me of Defendor with Woody Harrelson. Rainn Wilson gave his character some real emotion and a relatable feel. Ellen Page was hilarious and projected a large personality even though she is very petite. Great movie. Get it.

2012-04-28 14:19:00

Amazing

This movie is Fantastic if you like comic books, super heroes, pretty women, amazing story, or just great movies in general. I highly recommend this to everyone, worth every penny.

2012-04-26 21:39:43

A Black Comedy TAXI DRIVER

Just watched this last night and have to say I was very impressed. My initail take-away was that SUPER is sort of a blacky comedic homage to Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition), although there are numerous allusions to other late 20th century films and graphic novels, most notably Watchmen. Apparently this film has been stuck in development hell since the early 2000s, but it serves as a textbook example of why this isn't always a bad thing - screenwriter/director James Gunn has clearly had time to think about exactly what kind of film he wanted to make and to put together exactly the team he wanted to make that film.Conclusion: This film is certainly not for everyone (honestly, it's just far too esoteric to appeal to most people) but if my little capsule review above has you even a little bit intrigued, then I highly, highly recommend it.

2012-04-26 07:03:11

A Super Film Indeed

I'm going to be slightly biased during this review. I like James Gunn and his work. Starting with Troma's own Tromeo and Juliet to Dawn of the Dead (2004 remake) and Slither... I really like James Gunn. I follow him on Twitter and Facebook and really like his take on the film industry. I really liked his scripts for the Dawn of the Dead remake and Tromeo and Juliet. His first directing effort, Slither, blew me away, so consider me a fan. I even liked his scripts for the two Scooby Doo movies. Personally, I'd love to interview him, but that's another day. Today I'm going to focus on Super.From what I understand, Super was written several years ago and Gunn had been wanting to make it for years. I believe even before Slither or in that general time frame. Gunn's ex-wife, Jenna Fischer (The Office), was a huge fan of the script and gave it to her co-star, Rainn Wilson. So, all the cards fell into place and eventually Super got made. The unfortunate events surrounding Super was that it came in the wake of other similar "home-made" superhero movies such as Kick-Ass and Defendor. However, I like to believe that Super's was written first, which basically makes the other two films merely coincidence in release. The only thing that concerns me is when people refer to those other two movies in the same breath as Super. So we can get the record straight, Super is not even in the same league as the other two. It's leaps and bounds above them.Super is essentially about a man, Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson), that loses his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) to another man Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Sarah started work at a strip club owned by Jacques and soon fell off the wagon and resumed a life of drugs and debauchery. Sarah leaves Frank shortly after starting the strip club, which hurls Frank into a disturbing journey of self-discovery. Essentially, that's what Super is about. Frank discovers an inner self that is determined to get Sarah back regardless of consequence.Feeling that God has literally touched his brain (in a really odd and beautiful scene), Frank sets out to become the Crimson Bolt. Making his own costume, he decides to stop crime and work his way up to Jacques and bring Sarah home. Along his journey, Frank befriends Libby (Ellen Page), who works at a comic shop that he frequents. Even though an adult, Libby bleeds a childhood innocence and fascination with Frank and his world. As he tries to stop crime, violently I might add, Libby soon figures out Frank is the Crimson Bolt and wants to join him. Coming up with her own costume, Libby soon dons the Boltie persona and becomes somewhat of a sidekick. A Robin to Frank's Batman per say.The thing with Super is that throughout the course of the movie, you seem to care more and more about Frank, even though you know his actions will carry a serious consequence. As Crimson Bolt he carries a big pipe wrench to which he beats criminals mercilessly. Frank is flawed, and albeit somewhat simple in nature, he is not stupid and is completely aware of his actions. However, feeling that God has pushed him into this role of avenger, Frank feels his actions are justified. This is where the morality tale comes into play. Frank has no business taking the law into his own hands, and most of us would let the woman go, however Frank is dedicated to saving Sarah from her Jacques and her own personal demons.Super is brilliantly written. The script is superb in such a way that every character, even the small roles, feel fully fleshed out and real. From Frank D'Arbo to the secondary characters that come and go, everyone feels as if they have a purpose and everyone feels in sync with the world James Gunn put to paper. The dialogue is realistic and is only made better by the acting.The acting is top-notch. Everyone is perfectly cast in their respective role and it's evident that each actor truly enjoyed being in this film. It's like they all loved the brilliant script so well that it made it easy for them to act. I've seen other films where the script was decent, but it appeared the actors had a hard time translating it to their own craft and weren't able to fully submerse themselves in the role. Here, everyone is a key character and everyone does an excellent job. Kevin Bacon really, really shines as Jacques. The best part is when you see him, the Kevin Bacon you've seen a thousand times disappears and you see the dirty and grimy Jacques. The same can be said for every cast member. It was also great to see James Gunn give another nod to his Troma roots and cast Troma founder and legendary filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman in a cameo. There's even a passing voice only cameo by Rob Zombie, which shows the level of Gunn's ability to cast great people in roles of all sizes and shapes.The directing from James Gunn here is excellent. In fact, I absolutely loved his last film Slither and feel that he has only improved with his storytelling ability. His ability to craft a simple story into something so complex and violently beautiful is truly amazing. Had I not known his resume, I would assume that Super had been his tenth or so film. It's that well done. The meticulous detail that most don't see or catch on the first viewing, I did and I appreciate Gunn's eye for detail. His ability to pull you in with a single camera shot or facial expression says so much for his talent and I can't wait to see what his next project is.Overall, I was really excited to see Super. I had been following James talking about this film for a while and was glad to finally pick up a copy. Living in the area I do, it would've been a journey to find a theater that was actually showing Super, so I decided to wait and just pick up a copy when it hit DVD. I'm glad I did because I was able to pause and catch my breath, I was able to rewind a scene and wonder "Did I really just see that??". I was able to catch the beauty of the film and take my time with it. As much as I wanted a theater near me to play this film and have the chance to see it with an audience, I was just as happy to wait and enjoy it by myself. I wasn't disappointed one bit.Super is a great little film. It's violent, offensive, gritty, raw, and sadistic. Above all else, it's got heart and it's a beautiful film. From the opening credit sequence I was in love and it only got better after that. When the end came and the credits rolled, I wiped the tear from my eye and thought "This is why films are made.". It was an emotional blast of happiness, sadness, grief, and loss all wrapped up into one little film. It wasn't a big budget Hollywood film. It didn't need to be. I would have been scared to see what kind of film this would have turned into had a hundred money hungry people had their hands all over this script. I'm happy James Gunn made this film the way he did. To me, it's a perfect little independent movie and will forever have a top honor in my collection. It's movies like this that I appreciate. It wasn't dumbed down or chocked full of gratuitous nonsense that sell most tickets. It took you places in your heart you didn't expect to go and made you feel something. All in all, that's what storytelling is all about and where James Gunn and the cast and crew of Super have succeeded.Review originally hosted on The Back Lot (Search Blogspot for The Back Lot)[...]

gingus-maximus 2012-04-26 19:23:09

This film is outstanding

I avoided watching this film for a while because I really liked KickAss ,and the clips I saw made it look like a poor copy. In actual fact its a completely different film and has parts thatgenuinely moved me and other parts that made me laugh out loud.However, it is undeniably dark and violent in places but I found ittotally satisfying to watch.Ellen Paige is fantastic in this film and frighteningly sexy it has tobe said. All in all though don't judge this by the cover. just watch it. Its notKick- ass and it deals with some very deep emotions and realities.however it is Smart, adult, realistic, while off the wall and havingwatched it, has left me yearning to watch it again.I think they have struggled to market this films properly which is theonly reason I think it has not taken the world by storm. Much likeshutter Island, in my opinion being a much better film than Inception.I loved Kick ass but it did not tickle my soul like SUPER did. Watch it and form your own opinions but definitely do watch it.

DameFlux 2012-04-26 01:15:58

Brilliant, heartbreaking, truthful.

Frank D'Arbo is a short order cook who is married to recovering drugaddict Sarah. He comes home one day to find that Sarah has left him andmoved in with club owner Jacques. In his upset at this, Frank has avision of the finger of God coming down to touch him. He is theninspired by a religious TV show about the Christian superhero The HolyAvenger. After getting advice from the comic-book store employee Libby,he makes a masked superhero costume to become The Crimson Bolt.Wielding a wrench, he goes out into the streets in costume and battersin the heads of drug dealers, pedophiles and those who force their wayahead of him in a queue. This gains publicity on the news. However,when he bursts into Jacques's house to rescue Sarah, he is shot andwounded. He seeks refuge with Libby who has suspected that he is TheCrimson Bolt. After patching him up, she becomes immensely excitedabout what he is doing and makes her own costume with the intention ofbecoming his sidekick, naming herself Boltie. Arming themselves moreheavily, the two of them set out on Frank's intended mission to rescueSarah back from Jacques's clutches.Whats with the low ratings , I don't know what movies you all saw, butthis one was brilliant. Ellen Page is amazing as Boltie , the oversexedsadist. I bought all th characters. The animated opening is brillianttimes ten. Life is more like this than the movie "Kick Ass". Hero'swith real flaws, real pain and an emotional issue the size of KingKong. He is rife with our imperfection. / The Crimson BoltI highlyrecommend this movie for every adult that fails in life, yet stillstruggles on. The last five minutes made me cry , you will too.

2012-04-23 04:14:09

Great film

This review is from: Super [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) This is the movie that Kick-Ass should have been. Very funny, and even moving in parts. James Gunn does a masterful job with this film and any fans of the Genre should buy this immediately.

2012-04-23 03:22:17

Great Movie

Wanted to see this movie for a while now, didn't expect much from it though, but it turned out to be a very good movie.