Overrated and overhyped

Load of rubbish!!

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

I went into this film not thinking much. Thinking it would be the usual light fun, the usual baloney of a story line and so forth and so on. How I was wrong. The action and violence is hard core in this movie in the same respects as Kick-Ass. It was funny too in all it's brutality, Rainn Wilson was perfectly cast as the lead. Ellen Page was also perfectly cast as the annoying sidekick. Ellen Page is one of the better actresses out there, always fully committing to each role she takes on. And Liv Tyler was excellent as well in a different kind of role for her. James Gunn hit an infield home run with this one

'Super (2010)' is far more tragic than funny, only really a comedy in the blackest of senses, but actually works well as a dark, twisted and violent examination of vigilante justice without ever flinching away from its consequences. Yet, it somehow still manages to make its clearly psychologically damaged and very unhinged protagonist not only understandable but also fairly likeable. While it does falter in its final moments with a misjudged, almost 'altruistic' message clearly at odds with what we've just seen take place, there's a certain charm that comes from the flick's unwavering determination to be just as weird as it wants. It's this subversive streak that really carries the picture past its few faults. 7/10

A short time into watching this movie I wondered why its aggregate IMDb rating was only 6.8. I would have given it a 9 bordering on a 10 if not for two things that I'll get into later. A friend suggested the cause of this anomaly might be audiences who thought they were going to watch Kick-ass and got something very different. For now I defer to that theory.(SPOILERS AHEAD)Super has two interesting leads who are named Frank Darbo (The Crimson Bolt) and Libby (Bolty AKA The Creeping Bam). They are played by Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. I don't think there was a scene featuring one of the two in which I didn't laugh and wince. These characters also had scenes that really moved me. I think the ability of Super to elicit such contradictory emotions is due in a large part to Darbo and Libby being equal parts sympathetic and deeply flawed. The movie's sense of humour is exactly my kind of awkward, clever and unapologetic and the movie uses it to make wry winks toward social commentary without overshadowing the joke.Specific reasons for my 8/10 rating: I subtracted one point because of a weird editing choice made toward the end of the movie. Essentially, the camera cross-cuts between Frank's massacre and Sarah getting raped by Mr. Range. Although only lasting a few seconds the rape scene seemed... cheesy and jarred (not in an effectual way) against the rest of the act's tone. Mac is solid in his other scenes as Mr. Range so I'm not sure what went on here. Throughout, the movie manages to shift its tone suddenly, juxtaposing hilarity with something squeamish, evocative or repulsive, sometimes in the same gesture.I subtracted a second point from my rating because there were some moments that twinged to me as possibly racist. Firstly I think these are highly debatable, but I wouldn't commit to defending them as artistic choices. Things like having the first black character on screen (Hamilton played by Andre Royo) agree with Frank that he's lazy and nearly every black character from then on being a criminal or drug dealer. On the other hand there are also many drawings of Frank's black friends in the final scene of the movie (possibly the people from the queue at the cinema) and a small black girl who smiles at Bolty. The single use of the N-word shouldn't go without note either. I feel that it was justified to cement Jacques (Kevin Bacon) as a comically repulsive man. Nevertheless, the word's inclusion may be put into question when considered alongside the elements I've mentioned already.other than these two complaints, the second of which is more or less important depending on how you evaluate movies, I was charmed and moved by the Super and laughed a lot. I would recommend it more readily than many movies on IMDb that are rated at a 7 or 8.

Even after my first viewing of James Gunn's Super, it is safe to say that it is definitely a love it or hate it film. And based on my rating, you can probably guess which side i'm on. Yes I really do love Super for many reasons, but it honestly is not an easy film to like. Re-occurring themes of rape, ultra violence, sadism and nihilism makes the majority of moviegoers uncomfortable, which is the reason Super maintains its cult status. It really is a matter of personal taste and your capability to see the the meaning behind seemingly random violent and sexual themes.Super is a bold, shocking and sometimes quite disturbing film. While it is mainly marketed as a "dark comedy", the violent overtones outweigh the comedy for the majority of the film. Don't get me wrong, when Super is funny, it's pretty funny, but the comedy aspect is supposed to be found within the violence, which is very subjective overall. There are many shockingly violent scenes in this movie, and the victims aren't always the bad guys which seems to be many people's issues with the movie. Many people that aren't fans of this movie would agree that the tones of the movie were not well balanced and Gunn wasn't sure about what kind of film he wanted to make. Oh he knew what film he wanted to make alright. Super is basically a collection of all the darker aspects in a super hero movie that we never get to see. He added some of his own messed up thoughts and created an extremely effective and memorable experience.The cast is a star-studded one, including my favorite actress of all time, Ellen Page, in a lead role. The chemistry between her and Rainn Wilson's character makes some of the best scenes in the film. They form a strange, yet endearing, relationship together and seeing their psychotic fits of violence break out is very entertaining. Kevin Bacon is great as the "villain" along with Liv Tyler as the starry-eyed recovering drug addict. The characters overall are well formed and they all had something to love about each one of them. The script and story is witty and fun, bursting with energy and flair. The thing with Super is that it is nearly impossible to get bored watching it. The story moves rapidly and rarely stops to give the audience time to breathe, but this rapid story telling also remains focused and shows us what we need to see and tells us what we need to know. The definitive "anti-hero" story.The action is also done very well. While certainly not a straight action film, the third act contains almost all the action within the film, revolving around one final bombastic set piece of bloody violence and explosions. The effects look surprisingly good as well, budget considered. There is a lot of grisly imagery that almost always looks quite realistic, giving the film a down-to-earth feeling. If strong violence isn't something your stomach can handle, I recommend skipping this one. There is simply too much in this film to just fast forward through.There is one main issue I had with the film and that involves the death of one of the characters within the story. This character was crucial to the story and I think the death of this person wasn't quite handled properly. The film gave the person a brutal death for seemingly no reason, and while violence is one of the main themes of the movie, there was very little dignity or sincerity involved with the scene. It felt like Gunn needed a quick and easy way to get this character out of the story and stooped to a lower quality of storytelling for this character's departure. As a huge fan of this movie, I can understand why many do not like Super. It's extreme violence, careless handling of suggestive themes and the identity crisis involving tones make Super hard for some to stomach. But for those who can, Super will provide you with a dark, satirical and endlessly entertaining look at a fairy tale/super hero story. And it's pretty darn awesome.