Monday, October 17, 2011

Super

A deranged loser's recovering junkie wife leaves his for a sleazeball drug dealer and, with visions from above in the form of a costumed television superhero who teaches teenagers about abstinence, he adopts the crime fighting persona of The Crimson Bolt. Violently attacking drug dealers, child molestors, vandals, and line jumpers alike with a wrench, a teams up with a star struck comic book store girl aka Boltie and the duo resolve to rescue his wife from the clutches of the well fortified drug dealer. Everyone seems to be fashioning themselves as a superhero these days and James Gunn's "Super" is an extremely twisted and perverse take, often yielding very funny results. Rainn Wilson is really wonderful here playing that kind of screwball moral crusader that he does so well. I also found Ellen Page to be adorable, giving an edge to her hipster persona in some really racy scenes. Kevin Bacon is really humorous as well as the dirt bag. The last third of this film turns extremely ugly and violent, losing a lot of its humor and appeal. Nonetheless, Wilson and Paige are so good here, the movie is really funny in parts, and the film is outrageous and sort of refreshing in its own way.