Film Review: SUPER (2010)

Writer/Director: James Gunn
Running time: 92 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Action/Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 8^th July 2011 (Limited)

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 2^nd September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is another of those films that came up in an online conversation; this time I believe we were discussing ‘Kick-Ass’. I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but as it went on it kind of grew on me. It’s one that has had a bit of a mixed response both among the critics and the public alike. I didn’t think it was all that bad; much stronger violence that ‘Kick-Ass’ which does give it an edge, but I’m not here to do a comparison. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Frank Darrbo is a bit of a loser and after his wife, Sarah, leaves him for a low-life drug dealer called Jacques, he flips out. Realising he wasn’t strong enough to get Sarah back on his own, he looks for a way. Believing he has heard a message from God, he re-invents himself as ‘The Crimson Bolt’; a super-hero crime fighter. Realising he has no powers he goes to a comic-book store and here he meets Libby; she helps him in his research. Eventually he’s out there fighting crime with his trusty pipe-wrench. This, of course, comes to the notice of the police and it is subsequently reported on TV. Having followed Sarah, Frank discovers where she is living and makes an attempt to rescue her. He fails and is shot while trying to escape; he can now only turn to Libby. She is thrilled and allows him to stay with her while he recovers and it is here that ‘The Crimson Bolt’ acquires a side-kick, ‘Boltie’. Can this crime-fighting duo go into the evil lair and rescue Sarah from the clutches to Jacques? Well, you probably guess I’m not going to tell you here… I’ve already said too much.

Well made with some nice incidental music; a collection of songs mostly, but nicely chosen. All the performances were very good; Rainn Wilson was excellent as Frank Darrbo/The Crimson Bolt; as was Ellen Page as Libby/Boltie. I felt that both Liv Tyler as Sarah and Kevin Bacon as Jacques were woefully underused. Honourable mentions go to; Gregg Henry as Detective John Felkner, Michael Rooker as Abe and Michael Rooker as Hamilton. Oh, and look out for Nathan Fillion as The Holy Avenger.

For me, the star of the show was Ellen Page; she brought such enthusiasm to the role and I have to say, she was also pretty funny. To be honest, given the quality of the rest of the cast I ended up a little disappointed, I expected more somehow. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good movie with some great moments and some nicely done effects; it just seemed to be lacking. I did like that the violence was quite brutal and it wasn’t depicted as glamorous in any way. In fact, the consequences of it were plain to see. I didn’t much care for the ending; it all got a little too schmaltzy for me. Even so, a decent movie; but most definitely NOT one for the kids.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 32,290 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/

MetaScore: 50/100: (Based on 26 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 47/100 (based on 112 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 56/100 (based on 18,516 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super-2010/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Sarah Helgeland: What are those?
Frank Darrbo: I'll wake up and see these first thing every morning. My perfect moments. They can inform my day. Set me in the right direction.
Sarah Helgeland: The hands are a little big, don't you think sweetheart?

Jacques: Alright, pal. Haven't I been nice to you? I mean I've been nice, right? I complimented your cooking. You don't know who I am, so I'm gonna give you one last warning. Out of the fucking kindness of my fucking heart don't
[shouting]
Jacques: fucking touch my car again.

Libby: Batman had Robin. The original Human Torch had Toro. The Flash had Kid Flash. I could be your kid sidekick!

Frank Darrbo: Maybe you need to be bored sometimes.
Libby: You don't see them bored in comic books.
Frank Darrbo: That's what happens in between the panels.
Libby: Wow, in between the panels! Is that where we are right now?
Libby: We could do anything here.

Frank Darrbo: [Repeated line] Shut up, crime!

Frank Darrbo: You don't butt in line! You don't sell drugs! You don't molest little children! You don't profit off the misery of others! The rules were set a long time ago! They don't change!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.thecrimsonbolt.com/
Trailer: