Netflix says: When his wife (Liv Tyler) falls in league with a drug dealer, average guy Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) dons the guise of a superhero, dubs himself the Crimson Bolt and tries to keep a tagalong comic-book store clerk (Ellen Page) from becoming his sidekick. But it's hard to be a superhero when all you've got to work with is a pipe wrench. Kevin Bacon co-stars in this action-driven dramedy from writer-director James Gunn.
Matt says: The ads for this made it look similar to “Kick-Ass”, so I really wasn’t too eager to see it. “Kick-Ass” was a great movie and anything trying to be like it would be subpar in comparison. After watching “Super”, I have to say that it has shades of “Kick-Ass”, but handles the subject matter in a much darker, less Hollywood friendly way. Wilson plays a total loser who never catches a break. When the one good thing in life (his wife) is taken away from him, he gets a message from god… in the form of tentacle brain rape… to become a superhero. Donning his patched together outfit, he then proceeds to brutally attack any one he thinks is committing a crime with his trusty wrench. The writer/director of this comes from the Troma school of filmmaking and it shows. He also wrote the screenplay for the Dawn of the Dead remake and directed the brilliant “Slither” (let’s just ignore his involvement with the Scooby Doo live action films). “Super” feels a little too Indie for its own good, but is funny, dark, disturbing, and violent enough to make it a fun watch. It actually reminded me more of “Special”, in which Michael Rapaport starts taking medication that he believes gives him super powers. Both films are portrayals of men with deep psychological issues who think they’re superheroes… “Super” just takes it to the next level with its Troma-like dark humor and violence. “Super” ended up being a pleasant surprise and it was refreshing to see that movies like this are still being made. Troma fans, keep your eyes peeled for Lloyd Kaufman’s cameo. 4 stars.
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