User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 76 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 76
  2. Negative: 9 out of 76

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  1. Apr 7, 2011
    The film is warped. It had the makings of some absurd fun, and it is fun at points, but the pacing just sucks, and the thread that pulls the whole thing together is far too kinky. The Ellen Page bits are by far the best parts of the movie. The violence, incidentally, is surprisingly graphic for a movie like this. Why so many big name actors signed on to this sucker is beyond me - maybe they're all friends of the creative team. I wouldn't bother. Expand
  2. Apr 26, 2011
    I am so glad movies like this get made. I really relate to it. Funny, its honest, and the ending leaves you sad, but happy. It would be a disservice to give away plot points. Because it does not follow the typical Holly Wood droll

    The film plays and will hint at following some Hollywood cliches and then it completely kills them. The film has this melancholy border around it,
    and will constantly touch base with it. What I really like about this film, every person with a speaking role has a personality some slight depth to give you some sense who they are. They were just more then Bad guy X or friend Y. They get that extra little bit of dialogue to give you a sense of who they are. Even Kevin Bacon's main bad guy character shows real affection and guilt for his girl. Ellen Pages character is amazing. Her character brings so much energy to every scene she is in. Her involvement adds another layer and another direction to the film, and toward the end of the film, her character rocks you again. She is this positive sadistic energy to compliments Dwight's lack of lust for his whole life. The film constantly steps "Dwight's " character into the insane realm but then immediately back pedals. It's fair to compare this to kick-ass but just the last half. When Kick-ass turns from teen romance comedy into a much more serious and violent film. At first I thought this film was written by the same guy, but maybe years before kick ass. I could see the violence turning away many. There's just something raw about taking a wrench and whacking someone five or six times. The violence however is more over the top, and kinda of zombie type setup then anything. In the end most wont like this film. The entire concept of someone reaching the point in their own life they need to dress up as a super hero, is kinda sad and depressing. But its suppose to be. And the film is honest with that. Thank you Expand
  3. May 5, 2011
    Best summed up by a reviewer in Variety who said "Waiting for Super to deliver the funny is an experience as long as the film itself. " Take a pass on this one.
  4. Apr 23, 2011
    This movie is a pointless immoral gory bloodbath. It's homicide porn at best. All the characters are insane losers that no sane person can relate to. DO NO WASTE YOUR TIME BY SUPPORTING this liberal garbage.
  5. Apr 16, 2011
    Super is a niche film that will only appeal to a certain group of people. Super will be and is compared to Kick Ass a lot, but it is not trying to be Kick Ass. This film is a dark comedy at heart and keeps to it; Super is far less over the top and is filled with a lot of insane fun for you but not the family.
  6. Nov 29, 2012
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "YOU DON'T BUTT IN LINE!"
    This was a surprisingly good movie, especially for an independent film. "Graphic violence" or "outlandish dark comedy" would definitely be appropriate ways of describing the movie. Granted, this movie was definitely not the typical 7/10 quality movie. It's budget was obviously low and there were parts, mainly towards the beginning, that feel pretty dull. Essentially, this is a movie about Dwight Schrute becoming a superhero. He's the same borderline crazy... no, completely deranged and out of touch with society type of character as he is in The Office. That makes it interesting and funny in a weird way but the movie really takes off and becomes, not only watchable but very entertaining and intriguing when Ellen Page's character, Libby, comes into the fold. Not only does she provide nearly all of the laughs with her sociopathic sense of humor but Ellen Page is also freaking beautiful and her character has this "thing" about her that she brings to a lot of her roles. Almost like she provides the film with this sophisticated innocence, if that makes any sense. However, I hate what befell her character in the end. I think that kinda goes to show how much you actually get into the film though when your reaction doesn't differ much from Rainn Wilson's character. In case my first sentence regarding graphic violence wasn't enough warning, this movie is not for everyone. However, if you don't mind arms being blown off, you might appreciate the realism hidden in the film's chaos.
  7. Oct 6, 2011
    You can't really call this film a "Black Comedy" as that implies that its funny. This movie is similar to the likes of "Kickass" and "Observe and Report", but as shocking as they were, they were also funny. This isn't. You'd swear was Lars Von Trier asked to help write this.
  8. Jan 31, 2013
  9. Jun 22, 2013
    Super succeeds as much as it fails in many areas. The film is not by any means close to perfect, nor is this a feel good hit of the summer. Some have argued that it fails at being :"funny" and that the entertainment values are lacking. I would argue that the film succeeds in what it set out to complete. Rainn Wilson plays a similar role to what we have seen him act before, but with some darker twists. Depending on how you view the movie, you might be disappointed at the odd conclusion or in some ways mesmerized by way Wilson develops during the course of the movie.

    Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson) is a broken, slightly disturbed individual who is seen taking the law into his own hand. At first this is somewhat charming in a summer superhero movie way but when Frank's disturbed psyche is taken into context with the violence he is capable of committing. the result is unsettling (and yet meaningful).

    The result left me with a feeling somewhat similar to the same emotions I had after watching Donnie Darko for the first time. After finishing the film last night I looked at my wife and stated" I'm not sure if I ever want to see this again but there was something in this movie that I needed to see at least once."

    Give it a shot for what this film is, and see if you like what it brings to the table.
  10. Jun 25, 2013
    To clear up all the report's all those people who are saying He's ripping off "Kick-Ass", Here's the explanation.

    Director James Gunn had wrote the scipt in 2002 but had major problems getting it greenlit due to the nature of it's content. Mark Millar (Kick-Ass Creator) knows this because he is friends with Gunn and even showed the movie at his "Kapow!" comic book convention.

    In my
    eyes this is as good as the Kick-Ass Film (The Kick-Ass comic however is way superior, but that is not relevant). Nevertheless there are a few other DIY superhero movies such as "Defendor", Hero At Large" and "Special", all of which pre-date both Kick-Ass and Super so it just makes me wonder why Super is under such heat...

    Either way lets crack on with the review.

    Cafe Grill-Cook Frank (Rainn Wilson) is a Christian man who has only had 2 highlights in an otherwise unfair life, 1. his marriage to Sarah (Liv Tyler) 2. Helping an Officer who lost the trail of a handbag theif. Sarah is a recovering Drug addict who then falls into the clutches of a strip-club owner Jacques (Kevin Bacon) and his gang (among them is "Abe" played by the awesome Michael Rooker).

    Despite Frank's many plea's and method's to try and get Sarah back, they work to no avail. eventually after seeing "The Holy Avenger" (Kinda-like Bible Man) he has a vision where he is "Touched by the Finger of God" and is inspired to become "The Crimson Bolt" a crime fighter who in the lamest sense smacks people square in the face with a pipe wrench, all to realistic, gory over-the-topness.

    Getting all his Knowledge from comic-book shop worker Libby (Ellen Page) who eventually becomes Frank's sidekick "Boltie", both of them fight crime, fail, succeed, train and work their way towards Frank's goal of getting Sarah back.

    Though the Film came out in America back in 2010, it has only just made a release in the U.K as a straight to DVD release, Nevertheless late is better than never and in a nutshell, I really enjoyed it.

    Don't Forget this is James Gunn (The Guy who wrote and directed those 2 really bad live-action Sccoby-Doo movies), here he is really letting his hair down and the result is over-the-top goryness that isn't afraid to completely let loose and have fun with itself.

    Rainn Wilson (Dwight from the U.S version of "The Office") is a really entertaining lead and likable character, however i don't like Ellen Page's character who is without a doubt 10X more meniacle than Hit-Girl of Kick-Ass fame.

    Kevin Bacon is again in another role which totally lies in his element, Liv Tyler (for whatever reason is down played alot) is lovely as always, and Rooker is subtle as ever (not that it's really a big part he nevertheless is just doing what he always doing, and for this kind of movie that's all he needs).

    Other than that, the film has this quirky, surreal vibe to which it parodies the 60's Batman effects (often to hilarious bloody effect) and uncomfortable WTF moments.

    Final Verdict: For what it is (An Indie Movie) it sure has fun with itself, and it's cool to see these kind's of films can be done so well even where there filmed on a micro-budget.
  11. Sep 2, 2012
    For me, the star of the show was Ellen Page; she brought such enthusiasm to the role and I have to say, she was also pretty funny. To be honest, given the quality of the rest of the cast I ended up a little disappointed, I expected more somehow. Don
  12. Dec 4, 2011
    Completely awful, calling this a bad movie is too much of a compliment, I've seen bad movies before but this is the worst movie I've ever seen, it has no redeeming features at all, none of the characters are likable, it's not funny, and just a humongous waste of every ones time, honestly I came into this movie thinking I was going to love it because I love movies like Kick-Ass and Defendor where a regular guy just says he's had enough and becomes a super hero and this one was going to be a comedy also so I really was expecting to enjoy it, but as you can see I was extremely disappointed, I literally cannot begin to describe how awful this movie is, I seriously have no words other than this is literally the worst movie ever created, so do yourself and others a favor if you see a copy of this movie anywhere snap the disc in half, I believe the Crimson Bolt said it best when he said "how can something so stupid and idiotic exist?". Expand
  13. May 7, 2012
    Super is an entertaining yet unbalanced movie. It treads the same ground as Kick Ass (a nerd becomes a powerless superhero) but doesn't reach the same heights. A fair point is made by making the two 'heroes' utterly psychotic, but this leaves the picture without a truly likable character to root for. Super's fearlessness does work to it's advantage, though. There are constant surprises to be had and you're never quite sure how things are going to close out. I also get the suspicion that this is a movie that will get funnier every time you watch it. Still not what I would call a 'great' film, though. Expand
  14. Aug 11, 2011
    The movie's aesthetic is interesting; it starts a comedy apparently pretentious and slapstick, however the screenplay goes pushing on you and the movie keeps creating a way that you don't except, ending like a convincing drama. Right before the end I though "damn the guy kinda screwed all up, lost his team girl and all that only to save the woman who was despising him" but the end was really persuasive. Cool, the script much goes right so as much as it fails, but there are moments which are good, like the surreal divine messages, the heroic Christians episodes, nevertheless the violence really visceral. The initial comparisons with Kick-Ass are inevitable, but there is something more human and believable, the end just proves it. Expand
  15. Aug 14, 2011
    This really isn't a feel good movie. If you want a fun loser turned superhero watch Kickass, this is closer to Defendor. The end is gruesomely bloody the middle is as well, it's pretty cool and very down to earth. I enjoyed most of it but it really was sad. Ellen Page played a crazier version of Juno and of course the star plays a character almost exactly like his character int he office. Not that this is bad. it's not the greatest movie but you won't regret seeing it either. if you are interested in watching go for it but don't expect an epically awesome loserhero movie like kickass or Toxic Avenger, expect a kind of sad kind mix of Bibleman and Defendor that makes you feel uncomfortable when you can relate to the crazy guy. Expand
  16. Nov 2, 2012
    I would not recommend anyone I care about to see this movie. It is not at all like Kickass, and there are very few funny parts. I felt terrible after finishing the movie, as the film in its entirety had a depressing funk that viewers think will be lifted at the end, but it is not. The dialogue is awful, and the language and eapecially graphic violence are all far over the top to the point where it isn't even funny, just shocking they would allow it to be in a movie rated R. This is definitely the darkest movie I've ever seen, darker than Worlds best Dad or Donnie Darko. The conclusion left me wishing I had never started the movie in the first place. Please don't see it. Expand
  17. Apr 23, 2011
    This film was pretty insane. The story is pretty similar to Kick-Ass, the nerdy guy who tries to be a superhero with no powers. Super is a little more violent than Kick-Ass, but it lacks a lot of charm. Rainn Wilson was pretty good as a superhero, he's better than being a rock star for sure. He uses his same Dwight Schrute attitude to fight so-called crime with no superpowers, but a pipe wrench. Kevin Bacon was pretty good as the drug dealer who steals his wife from him. Ellen Page is probably what made this film funny, and not so much Rainn WIlson's stupidity as a superhero. Ellen was great as comic fan who loves violence and justice. Without a doubt one of her fiestiest roles ever. There were some good funny scenes with Rainn WIlson, it usual happens when he's first starting out as a hero. This film is really violent though. There is so much head-bashing and explosions. It was kinda funny seeing the action words pop up, but it seemed they kinda forgot to bring them back during the action sequences later in the movie. In the end, this was just okay. It was pretty funny and somewhat exciting until the last 20 minutes, where its gets extreme and really violent. A warped movie, but this Rainn Wilson film is far better than The Rocker. Expand
  18. May 4, 2011
    For me, this was easily the best movie of the year. It's certainly a visceral experience. The characters a mentally disturbed and they are meant to disturb you. The movie gets you to laugh at violence that will disturb you. If catching yourself laughing at that kind of thing makes you a sad panda, you won't be happy with this film. If you are the kind of person who would go to this movie with the kiddos after your PTA meeting, you won't be happy with this film. If you are someone who is offbeat with a dark side, but still fun, you too will love this film. Expand
  19. Aug 7, 2011
    Super is strange to say the least. The premise is completely conventional nowadays - a nobody decides to become a superhero and fight crime despite a complete lack of skill. The problem with any film that follows this formula from now on is that it's not Kick-Ass. To be fair to Super, it's not trying to be Kick-Ass. It's more satirical, but also far darker. Every character has some form of mania that drives them, whether it's Wilson's religious epiphanes, Tyler's dependence on drugs or Page's full-blown insanity. The performance highlights of the film are Nathan Fillion's bizarre turn as a TV evangelical superhero, and Ellen Page who is just plain terrifying (and who is the dark heart of the film). It's often funny but other jokes are misjudged, the pacing of the film is a bit off and it's just too depraved. It might appeal to some, and I can see what it was trying to be, but Super goes a little too far for me. Expand
  20. Aug 6, 2011
    I can't beleive its got such a bad score on here I thought it was brilliant. So dark and sad but constant between the lines humour all the way through! Very clever film, much deeper than it appears.
  21. Dec 3, 2011
    Before watching this movie, I didn't expect much. Maybe some stylized violence, a few comedic moments, and a few good one liners. But what I got was far beyond that. The acting was really spot-on, the visual effects looked great and believable, the dialogue was dark and funny, and the plot was engaging and unique. For me, this is probably my favorite movie of the year. If you're into dark comedy and want to see something with less filler and more substance, this movie SHOULD NOT BE MISSED. Expand
  22. sYs
    Aug 12, 2011
    This movie was awesome mix of drama and insanity. +10from movie. Really enjoyed it. The acting was very well done and effects. This movie ads a new meaning to realism. One of the best 2011 movies so far.
  23. Aug 17, 2011
    This film is bizarre, absurd and ridiculous. However, all the actors do an excellent job, the action scenes are extravagant and entertaining, and there a quite a few laughs along the way. This film has extremely dark humor and almost feels unnecessarily grim, and the main character (Rainn Wilson who does a superb job) is demented and insane, as well as his sidekick, Boltie (Ellen Page, who is also amazing). Gruesome, dark and depressing at some points, the movie can drag along and feel slow, but then pick back up with excitement or murder. A roller coaster, some parts are great, some fall flat, but overall, this movie is average. I'd say it's worth seeing if you like dark humor, or the movie "Kick-Ass" as "Super" follows the same underdog-civilian-who-becomes-a-superhero formula. Overall, an average movie, some of the gore and death feels out of place or unneeded, but everything ties together for a fantastic conclusion, and amazing actors portray their characters well enough to save this movie from the brink of simply being depressing and warped. Expand
  24. Jun 24, 2013
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm not gonna bother explaining this movie to you, I'll just summarize the plot with a couple spoilers. A man has religious hallucinations and starts breaking people's skulls for crimes ranging from child molestation to cutting in line. It looks like he might get caught and learn it was crazy all along, for a little while. Then a cop is shot to death in his house, he murders his way through a ranch full of criminals to take back his wife, gets his young accomplice killed, and leaves. Then the movie ends with a saccharine sweet monologue about how he was right all along and what a beautiful life his actions created for him. With logic like that I don't even feel the need to touch on the insane shifts in tone and moral ambiguity. It was a shame, because I almost liked this movie while I thought the loose ends would get wrapped up in a healthy dose of real-world. Expand
  25. Nov 2, 2011
    Shut Up Crime! With a recent emergence of superhero movies aiming to be grittier and more realistic, Super is arguably the most accurate portrayal of what would happen if someone without powers or insane amounts of money decided to be a superhero. Super is super realistic...and super dark! The single solitary downfall of this movie is that it completely disregards expectations, but I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been done any other way. How do you advertise for a movie that is a perfect mix of drama, comedy, tragedy, thriller, parody and character-based gore-fest? How do you tell the uninformed movie-goer that what they're about to see is going to challenge them in ways that a super-hero movie could never be expected to? Casual movie goers may get turned off by the gritty violence and somewhat convoluted message. Yet the fun, the humor, the strength of character and the way Gunn challenges thematic notions raised by most superhero films definitely elevates "Super" in a way that suggests its future will be as "cult favorite" as opposed to "lauded superhero spoof." Expand
  26. Jul 20, 2013
    This movie honestly surprised me. I went in expecting a quirky and fun nerd movie in the vein of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which is exactly the opposite of what I got until it wasn't, at which point it was exactly what I got, until it wasn't that either. Perhaps that requires some clarification. Keeping it spoiler free, this movie starts off as a mixture of bleakly depressing and ball-twistingly awkward, but at the same time somewhat endearing for all that, before a somewhat drastic change of pace with an intentionally amateurish title animation set to Green Day-style 90s grunge. After the intro it wallows in pity for a little bit longer before buckling down and being legitimately funny and clever while still keeping up the incredibly awkward subtext. This culminates when our hero decides that his weapon of choice shall be a pipe wrench, graphically beating people in a short montage which seems for all the world as if it's being played for laughs, and which ends with him dropping a cinderblock on a criminal's head from a fire escape. However, shortly afterward there's a complete tonal inversion as it goes from quirky and lovable to serious and almost frightening within the space of a few minutes, and suddenly it seems as if that little comedic montage was not as funny as it first appeared. From that point forward the movie flits back and forth between gritty horrific delivery of its message, somewhat humorous stylization, and some honestly disturbingly psychotic moments that I honestly don't know if I was frightened or amused by. The movie really gets serious right near the end, when it simultaneously has a moderately impressive action scene, delivers a cuttingly real portrayal of what would actually happen if random people decided to be vigilantes, takes a hard look at morality and fanaticism while cashing in on the allegories to organized religion that have played a small part throughout the movie, and still manages to be somewhat funny at times throughout all of this. The ending feels simultaneously satisfying and like an absolute tease. All in all this movie has a lot more to it than I bargained for, and while I'm sure more than one of you will interpret everything I've said as the movie just seeming schizophrenic, I honestly think it melds together quite expertly in a way which is near impossible to explain. It's certainly worth a watch, because while I can't say with any certainty that you'll like it, I can say that you'll never see anything else like this movie and it deserves a view simply because of how astoundingly unique and intriguing it is. Expand
  27. May 21, 2012
    A amazing film that was so much more than it initially appeared to be. It's a journey of self discovery for the main character Frank, and satirises religion and the superhero genre in general. Very gorey and very 'weird', and could only possibly suit a select type of film goer; namely those undiscouraged by the surreal, the grotesque who enjoy a film that goes beyond itself. The frequent comparisons to Kick-Ass are completely unjust, as it aims for a completely different effect. Expand
  28. Jan 12, 2013
    I expected an indie kick-ass and it was. It was also a bad version of kick-ass. Not to say kick-ass was anything special in the first place, but this did not have any thing that was special or fun or anything else it was trying to be.
  29. Jul 14, 2013
    What a strange, problematic, frustrating, and yet extremely entertaining movie. The cast fits their parts well, and it's funny to see Ellen Page be a crazily violent psychopath because it's so completely opposite of most of the characters she plays. It's also funny most of the time when Rainn Wilson is dressed as his superhero alter ego. He makes some pretty stupid and shocking yet funny decisions. This is also one gory movie. There's even a scene where Ellen Page nearly smashes someone with a statue in nearly the same way Alex killed the cat lady in a clockwork orange. Now I'll get into the problems. First off, the movie both makes fun of and embraces Christianity at the same time, which is probably the weirdest and most hypocritical perspective I've ever seen a movie take. You shouldn't make fun of God at all, and you definitely can't have it both ways. A major character dies that just shouldn't have ,which is annoying but I won't tell you who, and the ending is depressing. Not trying to give spoilers but it was and not even in a comedic way. It was very poignant and so sad that I nearly cried. So what do we have here? A movie with great characters, very dark comedy, and lots of entertainment value mixed with insurmountable and annoying problems. I liked it, but it's a far cry from what could have been. Expand
  30. Aug 30, 2013
    Being a low-budgeted independent film, Super has a surprising amount of mildly dark and amusing humor that works on many occasions, and a zealous lead in Rainn Wilson.
  31. Aug 6, 2013
    While at times the jokes may stray too far into tastelessness for the script’s lofty spiritual aspirations, it is, surprisingly, an endearing and entertaining movie that manages to discuss some pretty hefty themes of responsibility and wish fulfillment through a lens which is at times unique, at times brutal, at times childish, and at times truly meaningful.

    read my full review here: Expand
  32. Aug 17, 2013
    This film is realistic at the same time surreal. The score I give it high because there have been many times I've laughed, I kept thinking that somewhere in the world can have someone do this! ji ji ji

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 26
  2. Negative: 4 out of 26
  1. Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    Apr 28, 2011
    There are kernels here of a thoughtful and provocative picture, but they never pop – or POP!, for that matter.
  2. Reviewed by: Roger Moore
    Apr 21, 2011
    Take "Kick-Ass." Strip it of most of its wit and charm, amp up the violence, the sadism. Make it more crude and coarse and gory. And what you're left with is Super.
  3. Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Apr 15, 2011