"That's what happens between the panels."
It is easy to see why this low-budget project attracted such a top-notch cast, as writer/director James Gunn takes another genre and gives it his own bizarre, leftfield and irresistible take. The 'culture of speed' that Gunn created on set -borne out of budget-constrained necessity but also of his own creative approach - plus the guerrilla-style visuals give the film tremendous energy and impact. Timing means that most viewers will see this following Kick-Ass and make inevitable comparisons, but whereas Kick-Ass revelled in its stylised comic-book sheen, Super is determinedly grounded, in spite of its weird-out moments (such as Frank's brain literally touched by the finger of God, voiced by Rob Zombie!). As a result, this very human (and adult) take on super-hero conventions provides superbly relatable characters and abundant humour - the riff on Superman's costume-change is perfect, for example. There has been criticism of the level of violence presented, but its explicitness merely highlights appropriately that the actions presented have real-world physical consequences. Rainn Wilson gives a staggeringly heartfelt and hilarious performance as Frank/The Crimson Bolt, Ellen Page is a joy as his desperate manic side-kick wanabee Boltie, Liv Tyler is a revelation as Frank's estranged wife and Kevin Bacon delivers yet another great character performance (not forgetting an unrecognisable Nathan Fillion as The Holy Avenger!). The uber-violence escalates into a Grand Guignol finale, but the film's closing scenes are utterly beautiful and heartbreaking, highlighting the true heart and humanity that make Super such a wonderful film.
No comments:
Post a Comment