Review of Super

Super (I) (2010)
8/10
Don't compare it to Kick-Ass.
2 April 2011
This film is about an ordinary man who decides to start fighting crime, even though he has no special skills or powers. It also takes place in the "real" world, where of course nobody has done this before.

The similarity to Kick-Ass ends there.

Believe me, this film is definitely a comedy, I laughed out loud many times. What happens, though, is that the film gets so dark and unforgiving that the "morality" of the film is hard to decipher. In that sense, it is very different from Kick-Ass. It's a great "spiral" from a literary point of view, but the movie doesn't make the transition smoothly.

Rain Wilson is funny in spite of himself throughout the film, although he does try to be serious quite often. Is this basically watching "Dwight" be a super-hero? Yes...to the same degree The Rocker was about "Dwight" playing in a rock band.

Ellen Page is fun, although her story "arc" is the weak link in the film. It's completely believable. Everything that she does (and what gets done to her) is pretty realistic for a "superhero" movie. That said, it's almost too low-key, and ultimately I found her role in the movie unsatisfying (though well-acted).

Kevin Bacon is great. This movie actually made me miss him of late. He provides a much-needed credibility to this film...it's hard to put it any other way. I wanted more of him.

And of course, there's Nathon Fillion. He's only in the movie about 2 minutes or so, but while he's on it's wonderful. Keep this man in comedies, Hollywood!

Ultimately, fans of superhero movies, dark comedies, and even cheesy horror films (Slither) will enjoy it immensely.

Casual movie goers may get turned off by the gritty violence and somewhat convoluted message.
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