By Jonathan Klotz | Published
Long before James Gunn became the architect of the DC Universe, before he turned a talking raccoon and a walking tree into, he worked with Troma Entertainment, a legendary studio responsible for low-brow schlock, including The Toxic Crusader. It’s no surprise then that his first superhero film, 2010’s Super, has more in common with Toxie than Star-Lord. A black comedy that would cause anyone pitching it to a studio today to be escorted out of the building and banned for life, Gunn’s first superhero film is for fans of grindhouse cinema, 70s exploitation, and anyone who enjoyed Slither.
Super is a darker, far more violent version of Kick-Ass. There are no superheroes to be found, and by the time the credits roll, there are no heroes in the story either. Instead, the movie follows short-order cook Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson), a man leading a boring life with no direction or meaning, who is left by his wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler), when she relapses into drugs and becomes under the thrall of Jacques (Kevin Bacon), the local drug kingpin. Until one day God himself (Rob Zombie) comes to Frank and he assumes the identity of the Crimson Bolt to fight crime and win back his wife.
Frank is joined by Libby (Elliot Page before his transition), a comic book store clerk, who becomes obsessed with Frank’s quest for revenge, joining him as Boltie. The pair are obviously very damaged individuals operating under a shared delusion that they might be a match for Jacques and his trained criminal henchmen. The result is a bloody battle that leaves everyone still alive, heavily damaged, and traumatized from the experience, giving James Gunn one last chance to truly get his freak on before becoming part of Disney.
The cast of Super is filled with the usual suspects, including Nathan Fillion as Bibleman, Michael Rooker as a henchman, Sean Gunn as another henchman, Steve Agee as one of Libby’s co-workers, and Linda Cardellini as one of Frank’s few friends. It’s a testament to Gunn that even his low-budget films are stacked with talent. At $2.5 million, Super was made for less money than was spent on animating Rocket Raccoon.
The dark comedy was, of course, a complete flop, failing to recoup even $1 million during its limited theatrical run. It’s since become profitable after over a decade on DVD and streaming. At the time, Super was considered a ripoff of Kick-Ass, a claim that Mark Millar, the writer of the original Kick-Ass comic, has publicly shot down, noting that he has a ton of respect for Gunn and enjoyed the film.
Super is disturbingly violent and can be a tough watch today, but it also bridged the gap between Gunn’s work with Troma and his work with Marvel. Despite the wildly different tone, it helped him get noticed by Disney when they wanted to bring the C-list Guardians of the Galaxy to the MCU. If not for Rainn Wilson brutally cracking a man in the head with a wrench, Superman would have never been made.
James Gunn has been on the run of a lifetime in Hollywood, and he can seemingly do no wrong, but all of that success has only been within the last decade. Don’t forget that underneath all of the corporate-speak and mainstream success, he’s still the guy who wrote Tromeo and Juliet and The Belko Experiment. If you want to see how far Gunn was once willing to go on camera, you can check out Super today, but be warned, it’s absolutely not for kids, and this is one for the sickos.
Super is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
2 days ago
6 days ago
2 days ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago