Super (2010)
Superhero stories, pretty much by definition, fixate on wish fulfillment. To be physically gifted, to vanquish enemies, to be truly important- these are the ideas behind every tale with a costumed crusader, and comic books and movies spit them out at a frantic pace. Most of these don’t take on the dark side of such fantasies, and the few that do (Watchmen, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Returns) typically pull their punches. Super, written and directed by evil genie James Gunn, provides a dark and brilliant play on the idea of being careful what you wish for.
Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson) is a doughy wad of insecurity married to a recovering drug addict (Liv Tyler.) When scummy strip club proprietor Jacques (Kevin Bacon) steals her away, Frank takes desperate inspiration from a Christian television superhero and resolves to fight crime as the Crimson Bolt. Wielding a huge wrench, he brains criminals all around town and arouses a comic book fan named Libby (Ellen Page) to become his equally violent sidekick, Boltie. After issuing some morally dubious beatdowns, the pair resolve to take on Jacques’ army in a deadly showdown and rescue Frank’s wife.
If Super were simply a garden variety comic book film, it could certainly be called a success; it hits the right beats and provides ample action and laughter. What makes Super truly great is the willingness of Gunn and the cast to take on tropes and play them out to the most terrible extremes. The violence perpetrated by the Crimson Bolt and Boltie takes a toll on the audience- it’s viscerally repellent by design. Page’s Libby is an intriguing take on the role of women in stories like these, as she willingly subsumes herself as both a sex object and a sidekick. Wilson is truly brilliant and courageous as the put-upon Frank, playing him as pathetic, psychotic, and ultimately humane. Gunn and company let these characters indulge their every fantasy, and in doing so create a story that is compelling, elegiac, and a potent commentary on its genre.
