Jess: Going into Super you cannot except some light-hearted romp–this movie is seriously dark. This isn’t about someone who wants to be a superhero so that he can make something of himself, but rather someone who has just completely lost their mind and become delusional. Not to say this movie isn’t fun, because it totally is, but it’s also very morbid. I went in knowing to expect this tone so I was really happy with the film.
It delivered everything that I wanted: lots of gore, Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page at their craziest (think Hard Candy all grown up without any of the purpose), and plenty of moments that I laughed uncontrollably. Liv Tyler does a great job at being a barely there druggie, and they actually made it believable that she would go for someone like Wilson. Kevin Bacon had a great supporting role as Jacques (or “Jock” as Wilson’s character spells it), a super skeezy drug dealer who’s got it coming. Nathan Fillion has a funny little cameo as the Holy Avenger, a christian superhero on TV.
This film definitely won’t sit right with everyone, especially if you are turned off by the shocking violence, indie vibe, or bizarre scenes where Wilson has otherworldly visions, but if that all sounds interesting to you, you’ll probably love it.
Rob: Super really took me by surprise. I had heard a bit about it here and there, mostly on Twitter, and what I had heard was generally positive. So I was expecting this movie to be a fun little indie film with some quirkiness and a heart warming ending. The movie actually had a deranged side to it and the ending was more violent and solemn than anticipated.
The main criticism I heard about Super, besides the ultra-violence claim (which I’m not really counting), is that it took its idea from Kick-Ass. I don’t really think that this film was trying to be Kick-Ass at all. While that movie was about a kid who got in over his head, Super is more about a guy who’s a little off taking a semi-noble idea just little farther than it probably should.
Everyone in Super did a great job. Rainn Wilson is definitely a standout in this movie. Ellen Page played her character well and was very intriguing on the screen and Kevin Bacon played a very convincing villain. This movie is definitely one of my favorites so far this year.
