"Shut up, Crime!"
The Film
An ordinary guy decides to take matters into his own hands, fashions his own costume, and becomes a self-made superhero to fight the forces of evil. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? There's no denying that this high level plot summary of James Gunn's Super bears a strong resemblance to that of Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass. However, once you come in for a closer look you quickly realize two things. First: of the two films, Super is considerably darker, much more subversive, and (surprisingly enough) a lot more emotional. Secondly: James Gunn is one messed-up dude. (In a good way, of course.)
You know you're in for a twisted tale when the man who wrote and directed Slither is the guy running the show. Gunn - who also wrote the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake and created "PG Porn," a hilarious web series for SpikeTV.com - is obviously a guy who enjoys thumbing his noise at convention and Super is the clearest evidence of that to date.
The Picture
After its color-rich and brilliantly-executed title sequence, Super's palette looks downright drab. With de-saturated colors and plenty of brown and overcast gray lending to Frank's sense of hopelessness, Super isn't the first title you'll want to grab when seeking HDTV demo material. That said, the Crimson Bolt's red costume and Boltie's green and yellow sidekick getup do pop nicely against the mundane backdrop of their surroundings. Also, several scenes exhibit a substantial degree of fine detail and a pleasant layer of film grain is visible throughout.
The Sound
Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (not the Dolby Digital 5.1 stated on the packaging), Super delivers a perfectly adequate, if not terribly noteworthy, surround sound experience. Aside from the occasional pipe wrench beating, this soundtrack won't give your subwoofer or surround channels much to do until the film's big finale at The Jock's ranch house. It's here where Franks trades in his wrench for a pump action 12-gauge and lets the good times roll.
The Extras
If you were to watch Super's making-of featurette before watching the film itself, you might wonder if you were watching the same movie those people were just talking about. Like the behind-the-scenes banter on a horror film set, the cast and crew talk about Super with grins and laughter and everything is just so darned funny. It makes you wonder if they've even seen that blown-apart skull we just had to stare at while the camera lingered.
That said, if you enjoyed Super, odds are good you'll get a kick of these candid chats with Gunn, Wilson, Page, and others. It's not your typical marketing fluff and it's well worth a look. Also fun is the brief SXSW segment where Rainn Wilson and and an unhinged Ellen Page talk with a convention security guard about the dangers of jaywalking and open containers. Shut up, Crime!
Final Thoughts
While the notion of Dwight Schrute beating people with a pipe wrench may sound like R-rated, guilty pleasure fun and games, Super is much darker, much gorier, and more moving than you might expect. While definitely not for everyone, Super easily warrants a spin if you're even the least bit curious. Just don't watch it with your mom.
Product Details
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