Super

IMDb Link

First thing I thought was: "Oh, great, another film about a regular dude who wants to be a superhero, like 'Kick-Ass' or Scott Pilgrim or whatever."

But what makes this film different is that the people are believable as normal people. Rainn Wilson shows us that he indeed is an actor with range, he can be vulnerable and sad and all. Really, he surprised and impressed me and now I'm gonna respect him on 'The Office' even more!
Then you have Kevin Bacon as the vilain and you can tell he's having a grand-old time.

But what really sells it is the violence. Out of the blue, it jumps in your face, making you go 'whoa!!' by its unexpectedness and very non-comic-like ways.

Later on, we have some comic book words like 'Blam' and 'splat' and what have you, and it kinda ruins the mood, but I think it was added because it was so violent that the producers probably freaked out. Seriously, there are a few moments where I went: 'What the fuck?! Really?!' And these days, it's a rare thing to be surprised or shocked.

Indeed, this is not a regular comic book superhero. This is a guy who will split your skull open with a wrench for cutting in line. This is a guy who will shoot you in the head as you plead for your life with your bloody non-arm stumps. He'll smash your head on the floor over and over until your skull's all over the hardwood floor. There is no mercy. Because his quest is dictated by love. There is no superhero, here. Just a pissed-off dude who has nothing to lose. And the violence is brutal and relentless. And that's cool. After all, when you're watching a film about a guy who's kicking ass, you wanna see asses getting kicked, don't you? Well, I do. And this film delivers, unlike other family-friendly films.

Shit: imagine you looked like Rainn Wilson and that you somehow were able to get married to Liv Tyler. Wouldn't you be a wee bit pissed off if she left you? I know I would be.

All I'm trying to say is that, unlike other 'regular guy becomes a superhero' movie, this is actually a regular guy, who's not that good at fighting and who just wants his hot wife back. I respect that. He doesn't have superhero moves, he's not a karate expert. When he gets shot, he gets hurt. He's just pissed off and sad. And I find that pretty cool. Sometimes, sure, he goes over the line and he is kinda crazy, but fuck: "You don't butt in line, you don't sell drugs, you don't molest little children..." When your adrenaline is up, you're just another psycho.

So, this is a pretty realistic, and violent and funny and crazy and sad film. The end is nice in its... unpredictable predictability. If you're not sure what I mean, watch the film and you'll get it. If not, ask me and I'll be happy to explain it to you.

In the end, anyone could be that guy. I could be that guy. If I had Liv Tyler for a wife. But everybody knows I could never date or marry a beautiful drug addict, that would be just too weird for me.

I also have to mention that I am a big big fan of James Gunn's (the writer/director) book 'The Toy Collector.' I laughed, I cried, I loved it. I didn't quite love this film, but I enjoyed it because of its, again: unpredictable predictablility.
After all, isn't that what life is all about?