Super (2011) Review

"Shut up, crime!"
-Frank Darbo



Line cook Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson) lives an unspectacular life until his drug addicted wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler), is taken by her dealer, Jacques (Kevin Bacon).  When the police don't help, Frank decides to take matters into his own hands and becomes the Crimson Bolt to take on the criminals of his town and rescue his wife.


There will be some spoilers for Super below.  This is a really great movie so go check it out before reading further.

What Works:

Rainn Wilson is incredible as Frank Darbo.  He's a really interesting character.  He's likable, but somewhat unhinged.  He has wild visions that end up sending him on his quest.  He's funny and relatable, but still extremely violent.  He's disturbingly easy to root for and those are my favorite kind of protagonists and not many actors can pull that off, but Wilson does with ease.

The humor of Super is incredibly dark.  This an excellent example of a black comedy.  People get brutally beaten and even die, but it's still hilarious.  I have to give major props to James Gunn, who wrote and directed the film, for pulling this one off.

The violence is brutal, but excellent.  The Crimson Bolt likes to beat people with a wrench and it's pretty spectacular.  The 3rd act is an epic showdown and some gruesome deaths and I love it.  It's gnarly, but really fun to watch.

My favorite aspect of the movie is the TV show Frank watches about The Holy Avenger.  He is played by Nathan Fillion as a parody of Bibleman.  It's incredible.  I would watch a whole movie about The Holy Avenger.

Finally, I really like the film's title sequence.  It's an animation of all the film's character dancing.  It's really creative and kind of an anti-tone setter for what is to come and I love that style of filmmaking.


What Sucks:

The only problem I have with Super is the handling of rape.  Frank ends up getting raped by his sidekick, Libby/Boltie (Ellen Page), it's pretty disturbing, but ultimately doesn't factor into the story at all.  The two of them go to the final confrontation and Libby is killed.  This devastates Frank and the movie ends with him thinking fondly of her.  Meanwhile, Sarah is nearly raped by Mr. Range (Don Mac).  He is treated completely as a villain.  This is a really messed up inconsistency.  By this point it is well established Libby is unhinged.  The movie didn't need to go this extra mile to show that, especially if Frank is going to mourn her death.  Either cut this scene completely or write the end of the character arcs differently.  It's a double standard to not show Libby and Mr. Range in same light after these actions.


Verdict:

Super is a funny, dark, and entertaining movie thanks to Rainn Wilson and James Gunn.  It's a feast of black comedy and over-the-top violence, so right up my alley.  I wish the rape elements of the story had been handled better, but otherwise Super has got it going on.

 9/10: Great     

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