SUPER

Starring:
Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Nathan Fillion and Kevin Bacon

Writer/Director:
James Gunn

Running Time:
96 mins

Out to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD 01/08/11

"Shut Up Crime!"

Frank D’Arbo (Wilson) thought he had the perfect marriage but when Sarah (Tyler) left him for local drug dealer Jacques (Bacon), he lost everything. Spiraling into a depression, Frank started to plagued by visions of the future, something that he had not experienced since he was a boy. When Jesus himself appears before him, he is left with a message to change his life and those affected by crime. Following his vision he becomes the Crimson Bolt, a masked superhero who takes the fight to the streets and tells crime to “Shut Up”.

Why don’t people become superheroes is a question that has been asked of late at the cinema but can an average, ordinary but driven man make a difference?

Writer and director James Gunn made Hollywood sit up and take notice when he wrote the screenplay for the remake of the George A. Romero classic ‘Dawn of the Dead’. The former Troma writer and director for television then turned his hand to features and in 2006 he released the cult Sci-Fi flick ‘Slither’. Fans have been waiting a long time for his next foray onto the silver screen, fans now have his take on the Superhero movie but has it been worth the wait?

The release of ‘Kick-Ass’ in 2010 introduced us to the fact that anyone could be a superhero but the question was “Why hadn’t anyone done it?” Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar and John S. Romita Jr. set a new standard for comic book movies but those expecting something similar with ‘Super’ might be disappointed. This is not a bad thing however as ‘Super’ might have a similar theme but it is a very different movie.

Mixing surreal humour with bloody, brutal violence, ‘Super’ shows you want happens when a slightly mad man decides to take the fight to crime and how a slightly odd girl can push things a bit too far. In the Crimson Bolt and his female sidekick Boltie, we have two wannabe heroes, one with a mission from God and the other just all for the kicks, punches and explosions. With a kooky costume, a weird sense of justice and use of a pipe wrench to deal it out, the Crimson Bolt says “Shut Up Crime!” to the villains of his neighbourhood but when he also decides to dish out punishment to those people who jump into a queue, things might be going a little too far. This is credit to James Gunn’s script however, as even someone who sets out on a moral trail for justice might just be consumed by their own power and forget about why they started on that path in the first place. That path, of course, was to get Frank’s wife back from the clutches of local drug dealer Jacques and it is up to the Crimson Bolt and his overly enthusiastic comic book girl turned sidekick Boltie to take the fight to them.

James Gunn has gathered together a first rate cast to bring this dramatic comedy to life. Kevin Bacon is having a resurgence of late and he just loves playing villains. After starting as Sebastian Shaw in ‘X-Men: First Class’, Bacon returns to comic book villainy as drug dealer and local kingpin Jacques. Liv Tyler also returns to comic book movies but this time only has to look beautiful and very stoned. Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion return to James Gunn’s universe again and have fun with their roles. Ellen Paige almost steals the movie as Boltie, the comic book girl nerd who just wants to get in on the action but she is no ‘Hit-Girl’. This is Rainn Wilson’s movie however and as the hapless Frank who takes justice and violence to the next level as the Crimson Bolt. This is a role that Wilson was born to play as he is as far removed from any of the usual pretty boy types that have played costumes heroes over the years as you could get.

‘Super’ is not just another version of ‘Kick-Ass’ and deserved to be judged on its own merits. While it may be a little too surreal for some, those who enjoy James Gunn’s style and sense of fun will revel in the dialogue and the performances of the excellent cast. By the end of the film you will also be saying “Shut Up Crime”

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2011