Super is the latest film from writer/director James Gunn (Slither).  It’s about a man (Wilson; The Office) who has a vision and decides to become a super hero after his wife (Tyler; Empire Records) leaves him for the local drug kingpin (Bacon; Wild Things).

If you’ve seen Slither and are familiar with the work of James Gunn, including his Troma work, then you might be better prepared for this movie than most. Super manages to take an indie dark comedy and blend in elements of b-horror and sci-fi and makes it work.  Really well.

Gunn really went balls to the wall with this one.  This is not a safe movie.  But his bet paid off this time because Super really is something special.  He also packed it to the gills with awesome cast.  I only listed a few in the cast section but there are bit parts by Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, Linda Cardellini, Andre Royo, Steve Agee, and even Troma boss Lloyd Kaufman.  I’ll admit that Nathan Fillion has a pretty small role as well but it’s nice seeing his name up there, and it’s pretty hilarious.

As for the main cast there’s Kevin Bacon, who everyone knows can do sleazy great.  His introduction scene is really great.  Liv Tyler unfortunately is more a plot device than anything and really doesn’t have much to do so she’s not incredibly impressive.  And then there’s the two leads.  If you only know Rainn Wilson from his role on the American version of The Office then prepare to be blown away.  He’s a genius and he really brings his A-game to his role here.  He’s deeply tragic and brings a gravitas to the proceedings while still being funny.  But for the main comedic moments you have Ellen Page who is perfect as a comic book store clerk turned Wilson’s insane and slutty sidekick.  I can’t say enough good stuff about her in this role.  Her intro scene is roll on the floor funny.

The pairing of Wilson and Page is a match made in heaven.  They play off each other incredibly well and their characters are sort of each other’s yin and yang.  It’s a great duo that elevates the movie to a whole new level.

So if you are familiar with James Gunn you know he’s inclined to some fucked up shit and you’ll get it in spades here.  Lots of violence, fucked up humor, and just general craziness.  It will definitely turn some people off, but the ones who enjoy it will really get the most from this movie.

Inevitably if you hear the plot you’ll immediately compare this to Kick Ass, but this is a very different movie.  While Kick-Ass is a great movie, it’s shinier, more polished, much less fucked up.  This is like Kick-Ass‘ retarded cousin, in the best way.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy about the movie was the lazy “indie” cinematography.  A little shine wouldn’t have diminished the film at all.  And it just looks cheap.

Anyway I highly recommend checking this one out.  It’s playing select theaters around the country but it’s also available right on your cable system if you have IFC On Demand.  So you don’t even need to leave your couch.  You officially have no excuse not to watch it.