Out of all of the cinematic output from writer/director James Gunn, my favorite thing he’s done is Super, his low-tech “superhero” deconstruction which was released in 2010 to mixed reviews and scant box office returns. Which is a shame, because this film has more wit, both verbal and visual, than most “comedies” that get released on a weekly basis, and it demonstrated that Gunn is one the best when it comes to mixing tones within the narrative. Like a less slick and expensive Kick-Ass, Gunn’s film centers on superheroes who don’t have any superpowers, and gets tons of comedic mileage out of poking fun at the various idiocies that these overblown movies tend to revel in, while still sticking with its playing-for-keeps attitude.
Starring the fantastic Rainn Wilson as a meager guy pushed to his emotional and physical brink by various external forces, the plot hinges on him becoming a regular-guy vigilante named The Crimson Bolt, intent on taking out society’s trash (murderes, rapists, pedophiles, etc.) any way he sees fit. Gunn’s wild little film, which feels like Falling Down on crystal meth, has a great supporting cast, including the phenomenal Ellen Page as Wilson’s unhinged sidekick, Liv Tyler as Wilson’s wife, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Rob Zombie as The Voice of God, and an extra-smarmy Kevin Bacon as a truly nasty chief villain. Taking full advantage of its hard-R rating, this is a super-charged, super-funny, and super-violent satire that has generous doses of devilish black comedy, strange sexual hijinks, and rough-house action sequences that truly bring the pain.
Podcasting Them Softly 