Next greatest rental: “
Super.”
As expected, this movie runs along similar lines to “Kick-Ass,” in the sense that both films feature lowlife protagonists who decide one day to just don a costume and become a masked vigilante. Both movies generally showcase such vigilantes in a brutal and realistic light (because, lets’ face it, doing this type of thing will be dangerous in every sense of the word). Both push the boundaries of the R-rating, and will either shock, offend, or crack up the audience.
That’s where most of the similarities end; “Super” is a stranger, bleaker, and more awkward experience. The humor is dryer, with a heavier focus on deadpan comedy, but it is quite witty and funny most of the time. There is some decent dialogue throughout (regardless of the profuse profanity). There are some explosive (and extraordinarily brutal) action scenes. The film is actually somewhat bipolar because of this; it made me laugh half of the time and disconcerted me the other half. I felt it was a solid experience overall, but a few scenes really pushed it for me; I found it hard to root for the good guys when they’re bordering on being overly-brutal (toward potentially-innocent civilians nonetheless) and psychotic. It’s funny, in a dark and twisted way, but perhaps a little too bleak for me, and it’ll certainly push the limits for certain audiences.
The story for this is interesting, at the least. It is a fairly sobering view on vigilantism, providing a stark (and perhaps necessary) contrast to all the Marvel and DC superheroes that dominate the market. It has its roots deep in the characters, which are decently-developed and relate-able (I was actually getting pretty ticked watching
[Show spoiler]the guy’s dippy wife being seduced, kidnapped, and ultimately stolen by Kevin Bacon and his gang
). The film does tread on some iffy ground though; it shows the character experiencing religious visions, but inconclusively hints that they may have been illusions. The story tries to be morally ambiguous as the heroes’ actions tend to get meaner and more violent. But in the end, it’s never fully clear as to what the message of the film should be. Is being a hero a good thing or a bad thing? Should one take a stand or not? Should one live a happy life or not? The film manages to dig up these questions, but the answers are either nonexistent, ambiguous, or too bleak to consider.
It is interesting cinematically, with solid camerawork that gives the film a realistic look and feel. Editing is pretty slick, especially with the occasional comic-book motif. Acting and writing are pretty strong. The production value is probably not that high, but still features adequate sets, props, and costumes. Music is not bad.
4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4/5)
I’m still going back and forth as to whether or not I’d want to buy this; I was finding it a little too brutal at times. But chances are that I’ll jump on it when it’s $15 or less.
Recommendation:
As a rental, if you aren’t offended by gnarly brutal violence, lots of cursing, and hentai references.
“Shut up crime!”
Next greatest blind-buy: “
Drive Angry.”
Nicholas Cage plays a man from Hell who drives around in cool-looking cars with some hot chick blasting bad guys with a cool-looking gun! Sounds like fun, right? “Drive Angry” has its share of cheesy over-the-top action, and it goes into one or two interesting tidbits of gothic lore. But right from the start, the movie proved to be trashy and sleazy with a steady stream of profanities coming out of the speakers, and some occasional flashes of bloody mayhem and gratuitous sex. These elements should add to the entertainment value (as it did with other gothic-themed shows like “Blade,” “Hellsing,” “The Crow,” etc). But in this case, I felt too much like a Rob Zombie movie (straight-up trailer trash), only far too contrived. It felt like the movie tried too hard to be edgy and sleazy (going so far as to even include sleazy music by Peaches), when it would have worked better without. After all, “Ghost Rider” is good clean fun; “Drive Angry” isn’t.
I think the biggest failure is in the story. It doesn’t seem to congeal properly, as it meanders down the road with no proper goal or conflict set until the last act. The last act is probably the strongest, as the characters wage their final battle and save the day (with the R-rated fluff being less gratuitous nonetheless), but for most of the film, I was still a little lost about the point and the mythology behind the story. On the plus side, the characters show adequate strength, and help keep the film from being totally shallow.
It’s pretty iffy as a film too. Photography is generally not bad, but some shots are gimmicky (catering solely for a 3D presentation), and others are edited in a cheap or sloppy fashion. Acting is generally not bad; I enjoyed Nicholas Cage and William Fichtner in their roles, and everybody else seemed fitting. Writing can be a hit or a miss. Production value features some fine and dandy sets, props, costumes, and cars. Most special effects are kinda cool, but are only average at best (some are actually awful). Music is pretty cool at times.
3/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 2.5/5, film: 3/5)
Recommendation:
Probably not. I recommend “Ghost Rider” and “Constantine” instead.
Having watched both of these movies back-to-back, this whole evening feels f***ed up.
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Super I blind bought, it's a cool film, and everything going for it is great, but there's just a heavy lack of closure and concluding point to it
Neither would I. 
) and hope for an eventual individual release.
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