So I like quirky, unusual (not-so)superhero films, and it's not exactly a prolific genre. I've posted before about Kick-Ass and Defendor. Super will be inevitably compared to the above by many, but it stands as its own film with a significantly different feel. Not as comic booky or teen-oriented as Kick-Ass, not as serious and ultimately tragic as Defendor, but with action, violence, and drama to rival either.
Rainn Wilson is perfectly cast for the role of the inept, possibly delusional loser-come-superhero, while Ellen Page is a great turn as a comic book store clerk who is way,way (and I mean way) too excited about becoming the sidekick. Liv Tyler spends most of the time whispering, confused, and high, I think they probably just carted her out of her trailer to the set and had her be herself. And Kevin Bacon makes a great villain team with the under-rated Michael Rooker.
The film maintains a rather desperate atmosphere with highlights of giddiness which sets up both compelling drama and natural-feeling humor, falling somewhere in the middle of its two most recent genre entries. Recommended.
Rainn Wilson is perfectly cast for the role of the inept, possibly delusional loser-come-superhero, while Ellen Page is a great turn as a comic book store clerk who is way,way (and I mean way) too excited about becoming the sidekick. Liv Tyler spends most of the time whispering, confused, and high, I think they probably just carted her out of her trailer to the set and had her be herself. And Kevin Bacon makes a great villain team with the under-rated Michael Rooker.
The film maintains a rather desperate atmosphere with highlights of giddiness which sets up both compelling drama and natural-feeling humor, falling somewhere in the middle of its two most recent genre entries. Recommended.