Super (2010)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  4 / 10

  Super struggles to power through its jarring tonal shifts. Nope. Didn't like it. Considering it's from the "genius mind of James Gunn", I expected more. Way more. Before he succumbed to the inevitable studio trap, pouring money into his lap, Gunn made a name for himself by dabbling into low-budget satirical genre films. Much like 'Kick-Ass', this self-referential comedy attempts to balance action with drama. But unlike the aforementioned, this was surprisingly tone deaf and Gunn's style was incredibly obnoxious. A husband's wife is taken and brainwashed by a crime boss, to which he decides to create a superhero identity for himself and attempt to get her back.
  
  The dramatic story of a husband losing his wife exhumes personal gravitas. And yet, there's no heart. Its only purpose is to force the superhero tropes to take centre stage, and therefore results in the integral plot feeling empty. The narrative then switches to "comedy" where Gunn gets to convey his sickening mind on screen. This includes, but not limited to: imaginary sexual assault, racism and child molestation. None of the above should be condoned. There comes a point where the "Crimson Bolt" assaults a civilian, in broad daylight, just because he entered the queue in the middle. Funny? No. Not in the slightest. I'm all for dark humour, but only when it's ingeniously infused with the story. This? Just sickening behaviour, and did nothing for me.
  
  Page then comes along and irritates the hell out of everyone with her constant babbling and forceful laughing. Atleast Wilson brings in a committed performance and an egg-loving Bacon has some fun with his character. Yet, nearly every single supporting character was underdeveloped, underused and badly written. The visceral grit and gore everyone talks about is actually rather minimal. There's about forty minutes worth of good footage, with the other fifty being irrelevant and forgettable. Gunn's artistic freedom is appreciated, but when he produces empty features like this as he exploits mental illness, it's not worth your time. Super this is not. Should be called 'Not Great'.

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