Super Review

Movie viewing is subjective but you already know that. Chatting in the bar with friends, it’s easy and fun to share strong opinions on a film and argue their worth with the pals that disagree. Reviewing films, being a film critic, is different and frequently difficult. Obviously a review is not worth reading if the writer has not put their personal opinions into it, however the same writer must remember that their audience is far larger and more diverse than the guys and girls in the pub. A critic must be able to see beyond their immediate personal response and consider that a film that was not to their tastes, will probably entertain someone, somewhere.

So, Super.

Starring The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Juno’s Ellen Page, Super is a tale of one simple, lonely man’s crusade against the perceived injustices in the world around him. Donning a makeshift superhero costume he grabs a large wrench and goes to work. Soon his actions draw the attention of the police and the local comic shop clerk.

Audience members that pulled this title off the shelf because Rainn Wilson was plastered on the cover looking goofy with a funny catchphrase are in for an interesting night. It’s not a comedy, he’s not Dwight Shrute. It is very violent with plenty of blood and a little bit of rape. It’s not for everyone. With a fairly forgettable supporting cast this really is an opportunity for Wilson to step out of the small screen and carry a movie. It is admirable that he didn’t just go for some silly, cheap romantic comedy or angry school teacher kid’s movie and amongst the violence and comic book references, you will find moments of solid introspection of a complex character in Super. Rainn Wilson can definitely pull off a good performance for longer than 22 minutes, he has proved that.

Ellen Page annoys me, always has. She always plays her characters in the same way and seems to have little range. If you like her though, you’ll like her in this. She balances out Wilson’s character with a typically bubbly, quick talking, wise beyond her years performance and writer/director James Gunn is not shy about investigating the unlikely attraction that builds between the leads. Their relationship is not as charming as that of Kick Ass or The Green Hornet, but it does feel more at home in the, “real world.”

Is this film for you? Do you like comic book movies? Do you like violence? Do you like your action movies with a little bit of indie thrown in? Then yes, if you really like violence. Obviously the gore is frequently undercut by witty remarks post and pre kill and we get the old school Adam West Batman cartoon “Kapows!” but this critic failed to see the humour or even the cool factor amongst the blood. It’s funny, but not funny enough. It’s dark, but not dark enough. It’s indie, but not indie enough. It’s real, but not real enough.

It’s alright, but it ain’t super.



Let me know what you think.

BSP