Buddy A (mustardnoize)

This film, which in many ways comes off as "Kick Ass" on steroids, has many things going for it, but it also has just as many counting against it. One thing is sure; "Super" is a postmodern superhero film (and it is up to the viewer to determine if this has become old hat yet or not), but any other attempt to place this movie into nearly any other type of genre is likely to cause frustration, both for the critic and (more importantly) for the audience, who is apt to find this narrative less than entertaining because of it. While this movie seems satisfied to call itself a comedy, it is this very categorization that becomes so problematic. It could be a comedy, but it is too serious. It could be a drama, but it is too farcical. It could be poignant, yet it is too whimsical. It could be a commentary, but it is too sarcastic. This is a film in search of an identity, and while that can be viewed as a cinematic strength in many cases, for this movie, it is unfortunately the story's effect on the audience that suffers the most from this ambiguity. All is not lost, however, as many of the actors involved turn in exceptional performances; Wilson is quite good, as is Bacon and Tyler, but it is Page that steals the show, forming a character that is at once obsessive, sexy, creepy, frightening, funny, and has all the malevolent cleverish of a hyperactive stalker with a severe pop-culture bent. It's a very different role for her, and she performs it brilliantly. Additionally, though this film may have a difficult time trying to express itself, it does indeed have something important (and interesting) to say. It's just a question of whether or not the audience will take the trouble to find it. If you enjoyed "Kick Ass" but thought it should have been revved up a notch, then by all means check out "Super." Otherwise, this film is a somewhat dubious recommendation.

Not at all what one would expect from a Kevin Smith film, yet that was of course the point of this project from the start. There is some argument over whether or not this is a true "horror" film (for the record, I think it is), as there is apparently nothing supernatural going on here. However, though it might be better classified as a suspenseful action picture, it is definitively horrific (though by the classic terror/ horror dichotomy, it would be more "terror" than "horror," since the former term is generally reserved for something that has the potential to actually happen in the real world, and the latter for something that is too fantastic to ever be real). Fans of Smith's traditional pushing-the-envelope comedies may be disappointed here, as this film is radically different in both narrative tone and in visual style (disproving the director's own assertion that he is not a very visual filmmaker, as the stark cinematography and editing are both strongly contrastive from and more interesting than anything Smith has ever done in the past). The movie is rather short (whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of conjecture), and at times seems almost unfinished, yet it moves at a decent pace for its narrative to remain engaging without being drawn out, and has enough twists and turns to keep its audience's attention. What truly stands out the most here are the performances; many of the film's principals deliver extraordinary portrayals (most notably Leo, Goodman, Root, Bishé, and Parks, whose Fred Phelps-inspired Abin Cooper is one of the scariest movie villains to come along in many years), and it is these superior characterizations that make this film work. Few things in life are more destructive than blind belief, and Smith's film demonstrates with remarkable clarity just why this is. Recommended.