SUPER (2011)

[MouthForWar]

Anyone seen this yet? Directed by Troma alumni/Slither director James Gunn. Its another take on the "guy tries to be a superhero" story. It stars Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page as the hero and sidekick, and Kevin Bacon as the sleazy villain (which is the best I've seen Bacon in a LONG time).

I really liked this movie and I think its the best of that sub-genre by far. With movies like Blankman, Kickass, Special, Defendor, etc. all having the same basic premise, this one made it something different and it does a lot of little things to improve that formula.

Instead of a cheap knockoff of Kick Ass, it manages to be its own beast. Unlike the previously mentioned movies (which seem to just become what they were parodying), this one stays grounded. Kick Ass started as a gritty movie, then became just another comic book movie by the end. This stays fairly grounded (within its own context at least) throughout and the violence in this movie has consequences. Nobody pulls a jet pack out of nowhere and starts blowing up Italian stereotypes in this film. Both the drama and the comedy are WAY darker in this film, so it was much better suited to my tastes.

Another thing that sets it apart is the fact that the hero isn't a guy who found comics as an inspiration to become a hero. His ex-junkie girlfriend (Liv Tyler) leaves him for Kevin Bacon's character, who (in his mind) represents everything bad, and he looks to comics for his inspiration (rather than vise versa, as usual).

And Ellen Page is just awesome as the truly psychotic and bloodthirsty sidekick. I'd go as far as to say its the best performance I've seen from her.

Its basically like Taxi Driver mixed with Kick Ass and some of Gunn's normal Troma-esque sensibilities. And like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, the main character here is a very damaged, mentally unstable person. He does some bad things. He has hallucinations. He hears voices. You don't condone his actions, but you feel for him. And Rainn Wilson really steals it. This is the first time I've seen him actually act, instead of just acting silly, and the guy acts his ass off in this. Even Liv Tyler turns in a good performance here (and when was the last time you heard anyone say that?)

Sorry for the rambling review, but its a tough movie to describe. Still, HIGHLY recommended. It won't be for everyone since its an odd movie filled with odd characters. But its exactly the kind of thing I love

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctcURFb7XE4

[MekaGojira3k]

I really want to pick this up when it hits Blu-ray. It already looked more fun than Kick Ass was.

[MouthForWar]

[MekaGojira3k]

[MouthForWar]

[MekaGojira3k]

[jellydonut25]