Super

Starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler
Written and Directed by James Gunn
website: http://www.thecrimsonbolt.com/

IN SHORT: For those who ask honest questions about superhero movies. . . [Not Rated . 96 minutes]

For those who don't read us on a regular basis, we've acknowledged time and again a love of things super heroic and comic book themed. Drop a gifted comedic actor, such as The Office's Rainn Wilson into the format and you get . . . no, this is not The Fantastic Four or any thing of that ilk. It is a film that should do gangbusters in the art houses and is good enough that Wilson's name may help it cross over to the general population. That's a long ways around saying that the film isn't Spider-Man (which, depending on the edition, is a good to a very good thing)

Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) is a run of the mill shlub. Married but separated. The kind of guy you'd pass on the street and should, say, a police officer make inquiries, you'd never remember that you'd passed him on the street. Early on in Super, Frank is a random witness to the back end of some criminal act. He tells the authority figure where the bad guy went -- "Thanks, pal!" is the reply -- and that slight feeling of making a difference, makes [Frank]'s day.

At home he plants in front of the teevee and watches AJN cable -- the "All Jesus Network" -- whose action hero series "The Holy Avenger" (Nathan Fillion) is his favorite. Frank has reason to need a superhero in his life -- his beloved wife (Liv Tyler) has fallen back into addiction and left him for a slick, debonair pusher. Somewhere along the line the idea grows in his head that he can bring the moral certitude of beings like the Holy Avenger to the streets of his town. Frank builds himself a costume, christens himself "the Crimson Bolt" and sets out to defeat crime.

Frank first heads out to a local comic book shop to do research on non-super powered superhero. There he meets Libbie (Ellen Page) who quickly figures out the deal and, even more quickly, volunteers to be the Bolt's kid sidekick. This leads to all sorts of sexual tension, impossible relationships made possible and the start of -- just the start of - Frank's growing up process.

Of course, he hasn't exactly taken on organized crime yet. When he does, he fixes crime with a trusty pipe wrench. This site's third act rules prevent us from giving away any more than that but suffice it to say that the one question always raised about superhero-slash-comic book type movies is answered in Super. Graphically.

All this and a happy ending ,too.

On average, a first run movie ticket will run you Ten Bucks. Were Cranky able to set his own price to Super, he would have paid . . .

$6.50

We liked Super, even with the moment or two where reality intrudes with too much... uh... reality. You'll know it when you see it, but you'll be very happy with the way the film concludes. See it.

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