Although there had been much speculation as to Kapow’s surprise film involving all sorts of rumours, when darkness fell and the film began it turned out to be, as the majority had suspected, James Gunn’s Super.
Here’s what we thought of the much anticipated top secret film:
Not for the easily offended, Super is one man’s violent and gory tale of trying to get his ex-wife back after she walked out on him.
With a fantastic cast including Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon and the wonderful Nathan Fillion even from the credits alone I expected good things.
When Frank (Wilson) comes home to find his wife Sarah (Tyler), and all her clothes, missing, he immediately heads down to the local police station to report a kidnapping. Only to be laughed out of the station. After an encounter with God’s finger and a girl at the comic book shop named Libby, he gets the idea to become a super hero – fight crime (‘F**k you crime!) and win Sarah back by saving her from a life of drugs. Taking his costume idea from a vision sent by God, he sews together his costume (all the cool kids are learning how to sew these days) and assumes the name The Crimson Bolt.
However, after two unsuccessful nights of crime fighting including one night hiding behind a dumpster waiting for impending crime to occur and another night getting beaten up by drug dealers, Frank decides he needs a weapon. After a quick trip to the comic book store for research and a route around in his garage he decides upon his crime fighting weapon – a wrench. Mere hours later he is attacking evil do-ers left right and centre with his handy wrench as his main weapon.
Although Rainn Wilson is a fantastic lead role, Ellen Page is an absolute scene stealer as an ADD sadist with a fetish for role play sex. Her excitement and eagerness for violence evokes laugh out loud scenes including intended death by rodeo statue (he survived) to acquiring Wolverine claws (so she can rip people’s faces to shreads…).
The cast, be in the cameo from Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights, Off the Map), to Nathan Fillion, to all of the main characters, were utterly fantastic. The script was absolute perfection, and I don’t ever remember being so grossed out but laughing so hard I could barely breathe at exactly the same time. Other nods go to the soundtrack which fits perfectly, the magnificent costumes of The Crimson Bolt and Boltie, and the unforgettable special effects.
The only pitfall is like, much like Zombieland, it doesn’t appeal to everyone. If you can’t handle glamorised gore alongside some humour you won’t make it through Super. For those that can deal with exposed brains, violence, large character death, and laughing until you cry, you’ll find that ‘Super’ is self explanatory in every sense.
[Rating:4/5]
