"Superhero-like, even."

Super (2010).

I've literally just finished watching Super. I've gotta say, it was a bit better than I expected. If you've never heard of it, don't go looking for a trailer. Get on Netflix, or The Pirate Bay, and just get the movie. It was marketed in the wrong direction, so don't go and get mislead about the content of this film -- just get it!

Super is one of many movies we've had recently that ask the question, "what if a normal, average-joe tried to become a superhero?" and for the most part they've all been enjoyable. Now, the first thing you're probably thinking of is Kick-Ass a film with the same basic premise Yes, they do start off with the notion of everyday guy-turned-hero, that is where the similarities fade.

Super tells the tale of Frank, a man who's wife has just left him. He's a depressed, weird little cretin that has visions from God. I know what you're thinking. No, this isn't a Bible-Basher movie. The film never explores whether or not he's having a serious delusion or actually seeing Jesus. Which is a good thing.

A little bit into the movie, after a frankly bizarre scene involving tentacles, the finger of God, and the opening of our Hero's skull, Frank, decides to become a superhero. As you can imagine, this doesn't start off too well. When he first tries to fight crime, he gets a good kicking and is sent running for the hills. So, he gets a weapon (a wrench) and goes back to beat the ever loving shit out of a drug dealer and set the tone for the movie.

At first you might think, "but this is a comedy!" and yeah, it does have a good number of hilarious moments, but this movie is a Drama. It's heavy on violence, emotional suffering, and uncomfortable scenes, and an ending that'll tug on your heartstrings just a little bit too hard. Not that I'm really complaining, it was timed perfectly enough that you won't bother that the film is making you weep.

I have no real criticisms of the film. The acting was spot on. I normally can't stand Ellen Paige because she has no range, she's annoying to look at, and she played Juno. But every once in a while she finds a rule suited for a talentless, flat-chested, potato-faced gimp like her and it works wonderfully. This has been one of those occasions. Paige and Rainn Wilson make a fantastic team. I feel that no other two actors could have pulled this off as well as they did. They stole the show. So much so I almost forgot that Liv Tyler was even in this movie, and they almost -- almost -- upstage Kevin Bacon, a man so cool he could stab your kid in the neck with a pen and you'd still ask for an autograph. Speaking of Bacon, I don't really need to tell you that he was excellent in this movie. His role? A smirkin', snazzy-suit-wearin', criminal boss-type. You already know he nailed it that part.

So, now that I've praised the actors, it's time to complain. Above I said that I had no real criticisms of the film, and yes, this is true, there is one thing that definitely irks me: the movie itself. Super is funny, it's sad, it's violent, brutal, dramatic, and wonderful. This might make it sound good, and on paper it works. But in practice, it feels like the film is just trying to do too much. It seems to me that the writers wanted to do what Kick-Ass did, but make it far more realistic, depicting the harshness of actually going around murdering people and the consequences of taking on armed men equipped with shotguns. At the same time, I'm left feeling that there must have been a writer turning this into a powerful rebuttal to Kick-Ass's comic-book gore who had a producer nudging him every 5 pages going "hey, this is a comedy! Make funnies!" The film can't decide if it's a comedy, action, drama, or all or none of the above, only to the detriment of the final piece. I honestly feel that it would have been much better if they had just cut all the comedy out. That being said, the film would have been just as excellent if they had gone into full-comedy, and left out the strong dramatic tear-inducing aspects of the plot.

All in all, I really enjoyed Super. It has a few flaws here and there, but ultimately it's a pretty good movie.

If I had to give it an arbitrary number to score it, I'd give it a 7.

7/10!

PS. Watch this space. I've recently been informed of another similar movie called Defendor, starring none other than Woody-fucking-Harrelson. Since it's another normal-guy-becomes-hero, it'll mark the second review of a movie in that vein. I'll go the whole hog and review Kick-Ass after that I do Defendor. Consider this review 1 out of 3.