Super
Directed by James Gunn
- comedy
- action
- drama
The story
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills.
What it’s like
Scrappy, saturated and deliberately ugly, with cheap-looking suburban interiors lit in flat fluorescent wash, sudden splashes of primary red and blue, and a handheld camera that lurches into close, wobbly framing during fights. The comic-book influence shows in hard cuts, bright inserted panel-style flourishes and cartoonish sound effects, while the score leans on tinny synth and garage-rock jolts. Its vibe is scruffy, mean-spirited comedy with a hurt heart underneath, the kind of thing that suits a late night with the lights off and a higher tolerance for bad taste. The violence is frequent, bloody and abrupt, with graphic gore, head-smashing and torture-tinged cruelty, plus strong profanity, sexual content and disturbing jokes; the bursts of brutality land as shock rather than thrill. Pacing is loose and jittery, and the emotional arc follows a sad, decent, put-upon man who grows more unhinged as he chases a version of justice he cannot quite afford. It is for viewers who enjoy transgressive, self-aware superhero satire and can laugh at grim, gory excess, and it is a poor fit for anyone wanting something gentle.
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