Super

Independent films aren’t really my thing. For the most part these types of movies tend to be either:

a.      Preachy, overdramatic movies trying to convey a very obvious message,

b.      B-grade bad horror film garbage poorly directed by Wes Craven wannabes, or

c.      Shameless rip-offs trying desperately to cash in on a popular movie franchise.



Yup... all 3 describe this blog as well

Once in a while though a talented director will choose to remain in the genre because they appreciate the freedom they are given over the project and the lack of Hollywood interference, leading to outstanding examples of expert storytelling. One of these champions of film integrity is a little known director named James Gunn, a low key director best known for his work in Troma films such as Tromeo and Juliet and Slither. His newest project Super is his most ambitious yet, and his zeal for the film is apparent in its execution and direction.

The story revolves around social pariah Frank D’arbo (Rainn Wilson from The Office), who discovers that his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) has been tricked into becoming a hooker for local pimp/drug dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon). After his pleas for help to the police are met with indifference, Frank has a supernatural experience that leads him to believe he has been touched by the finger of God and therefore chosen to become a superhero to get his wife back. He adopts the persona of “The Crimson Bolt” by night, fighting crime across the city in an attempt to find a way to “rescue” his wife. Along the way he is assisted by comic book fan Libby (Ellen Page), who takes on the persona of “Bolty” in an attempt to live out her comic book fantasies and become a sidekick.

First of all, we need to address how the marketing campaign of this film is guilty of one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to the industry, false advertising. What do I mean by that? Well, see for yourself…

The trailers, posters, and TV spots go out of their way to portray this film as a lighthearted, campy ride of one pathetic man trying desperately to be Batman. When films really try to push themselves onto audiences by lying to them about what they can bring to the table it never really ends well. Audiences go see the film expecting something that the film can’t deliver, and even though the flick may be a very good example of another genre, the audience almost always leaves feeling cheated, which in turn leads to negative feelings towards the film and bad word of mouth. Watchmen did this by marketing itself as a more mature version of The Incredibles, and audiences left the theater pissed off despite the fact that the movie was a damn well executed social commentary, a near perfect adaptation of the graphic novel, and a dark, well made exploration of the human condition. Parents took their kids to see Rango expecting a film akin to Shrek set in the Wild West, and they left the theaters angry because instead they got a violent, but brilliantly made satire of the “spaghetti western”.

Super is guilty of the same heinous crime, and the first thing you need to know is that this is not the same film portrayed in the trailer (for the most part). This is NOT a film about Dwight from The Office running around, being silly and smacking people in the face with a pipe wrench. It’s more of a dark comedy, with the funnier parts of the film stemming from the glib desperation of Frank trying to overcome his own isolation as he tries to rescue his wife. One of my favorite scenes revolves around Frank praying to God and asking if this was what he really wanted, then asking God to send him a sign if he wants him to continue doing it. I found it funny because this is a situation I have actually been guilty of, and there’s nothing stranger than seeing something and wondering if it is indeed a sign or not.

In a way this film is a true comic book movie, a film of self-discovery and overcoming the odds, and for that it’s a pretty darn good one. The protagonist is awkward, but well-meaning and likeable, his sidekick is hilariously insane and adorable, the villain (Kevin Bacon, again awesome) is cartoonishly vile, and the supporting cast funny and enjoyable to watch, especially a criminally underused and hysterical Nathan Fillion as “The Holy Avenger”.  The characters in the film are deeply flawed, but utterly likeable, and as a result the limited conflict scenes are made that much more enticing and exciting to watch. I know I’ve pounded this point to death, especially with my first article, but even mundane action scenes are made that much more exciting if you really care about what happens to the characters in them.

Hey, you remember that M. Night Shyamalan film Unbreakable? You know, the last film he made before he slowly started slipping into making absolute crap for films? Yeah, believe it or not this dude used to make some of the best films in Hollywood, and Unbreakable is a shining example of it. It’s hands down my favorite Shyamalan film, and despite all the comic book films being released I can honestly say that if it isn’t my favorite comic film it is easily in my top three. Now some of you may be saying “Hey, Unbreakable wasn’t a comic book film, it was just about a guy who discovered he may or may not have powers”, to which I respond that even though it may not have been a comic adaptation film, that doesn’t mean it’s not a comic book film.

What it is however, is a film about self-discovery and responsibility, about one man’s quest to discover what he is and learn the responsibility of his gifts… gee… sounds an awful lot like something doesn’t it? The point is that David Dunn is such a deep and well written character that it was guaranteed the audience would sympathize and relate to him almost immediately. Willis’ haunted, subtle, and brilliant performance along with Jackson’s aggressive, investigative story further solidified Dunn’s character as a conflicted, but well meaning man who was desperately trying to find the answer to the biggest question for both of these men, “Why are they who they are?” Now think about this for a second, try to pick your favorite fight out of the following climactic comic movie fights:

1.      Fantastic Four-The final showdown on the streets of New York

2.      Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer-Final showdown with Dr. Doom and Galactus

3.      X-men: The Last Stand-Massive showdown on Alcatraz

4.      Spiderman 3-Showdown between Venom, Sandman, Green Goblin 2, and Spidey

5.      Wolverine-Final showdown between Sabretooth, Deadpool, and Wolverine

In each of these cases millions of dollars were spent on creating the giant ass epic showdown, creating big scale, explosion-rific action sequences that dazzle the eye. There are cities being blown up, planets being destroyed, armies being decimated, buildings collapsing, superpowers clashing, special effects on overload, the Golden Gate Bridge being obliterated, and Ian Mckellan. What’s the final, climactic showdown in Unbreakable? Bruce Willis jumps on a guys’ back and flails around until the guy falls down. Sure it may sound lame, but which is the most effective and powerful climax of these six examples? Unbreakable, hands down. Thanks to a character connection with the audience, a well shot sequence, and a haunting score, this one scene has a thousand times the impact as all the Mr. Fantastics Fox can throw at us.

I know I keep pushing this point in pretty much every action movie review I do, but it’s a VERY important point to hammer home, especially to me. Creating genuine, likeable, relatable characters should always be priority one, and gigantic, city-busting finales should be an afterthought to filmmakers. If you can do that then even the most unimpressive, cheaply made, and unexceptional finales will have significantly more of an influence on the audience than boring, generic, uninteresting heroes. Now obviously the best option would be a combination of the two factors such as Spiderman 2 (deep character development + outstanding subway action sequence = breathless audience), but if you have to choose between the two then you shouldn’t be a filmmaker in the first place Brett Ratner.

Now I know I just went off on another angry fit, but there was a purpose to it, and the purpose is to illustrate that despite being a dark comedy, Super actually had one of the best climactic finales out of all the comic book movies out there these days. It was simple yes, but by creating emotional attachments between the audience and the characters we now care what happens to Frank, Libby, and Sarah in the final showdown. The surprisingly dark turn the film takes effectively sets up how the stakes are now real for these characters, and the lightheartedness of the film leading up to this point must be abandoned following one critical moment of the sequence. It’s an abrupt transition, but it’s done that way because it’s necessary and as a result the audience can get inside Frank’s head to feel the rage and need to see the job through. A lot of critics misinterpreted this scene to the point where they said the film didn’t know what it wanted to be, but I think the transition was necessary to show the real dangers of the situation Frank found himself in.

This happens late in the film though, and everything leading up to it is a really good time. It’s still dark, but it’s lighthearted and funny to watch Libby and Frank sort of developing their crime-fighting styles. What’s really fun to watch however is Frank more or less mentoring Libby, and seeing how this weird, sort of out of touch guy is actually the more calm and precise member of the crew. Some of the funnier parts of the movie actually stem from Libby hurting people really bad, and I mean REALLY bad, and then erupting into fits of giggles and laughter as these poor people are writhing and crying in pain at what just happened to them. It takes Frank to teach Libby that even though he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he does know that he must always serve a greater good.

As usual Gunn’s talents as a filmmaker are apparent, and with his usual flair he can create a scene to properly reflect both the audiences’ and the characters’ emotions in that moment. Whether it’s creating a lighthearted, cartoony tone during the funnier times of the film, or creating a dark, foreboding atmosphere during the more depressing moments, his filmmaking style is effective and enjoyable. Strong writing helps his film along, and in doing so we can understand these apparently simple characters even better, especially when we begin to see them evolve and understand their deeper motivations in the film. It’s just a really enjoyable ride throughout, and it’s almost like a really effective commentary on the comic book film conglomerate as a whole.

Now of course there are some problems with the film, most notably that anyone who has seen it already knows that it is not a movie for everyone. The last twenty or so minutes of the film are INCREDIBLY dark, and some other parts of the film will take you by surprise if you don’t know what to expect. It’s also very gory, which you wouldn’t even begin to expect from watching the trailer and seeing the poster. This film is very R rated for a reason, and despite its’ funny atmosphere it actually comes off more like a niche film for weirdoes like me than your typical comedy. One last problem I had with the film was Nathan Fillion being underused, and even though I mentioned that earlier I had to bring it up again because I thought the funniest parts of the film revolved around his Bibleman knock off Christian television show (Don’t watch the clips below if you don’t want the awesomeness ruined for you).

Told you

Super is a film that may not appeal to everyone, but if you can get behind its’ wacky blend of dark comedy and superhero satire you may find the experience rewarding.

7 out of 10