As overdone as superhero films are becoming; as since Spider-Man blew the lid off that genre we’ve had three X-Men movies, two Batman films, two Iron Man features, two Fantastic Four pictures, and a whole host of others (some already released, and some; such as Captain America, Batman 3, The Avengers, etc; still upcoming); it seems as if films about a superhero with no superpowers, are quickly becoming just as, if not more, common.
This month alone has seen the release of both Kick-Ass, and Defendor; which, whilst having starkly different tones and visual styles, were both about an average guy who was fed up with the world, and decided to don a costume, think up a daft sounding name, and become a real-world superhero; and there’s no shortage of like-minded movies due for release in the future; with Mark Millar already working out plot details for Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall, and other films such as The Green Hornet, and Super, to name but a few that have already been filmed.
Like Defendor, Super is a low-budget independent picture who’s writer (James Gunn, Slither) also served as the film’s director, and is about an average man; played by Rainn Wilson (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen); who is personally affected by the actions of a local drug dealer, and decides to transform himself into a superhero, despite lacking any form of superpowers.
Unlike Defendor however, Super gives its everyman a sidekick; in the form of Inception’s Ellen Page (who previously worked with Rainn on the critically acclaimed Juno; for which she was Oscar nominated); and is much more of a straight up comedy (as evident by the clip that can be viewed below).
Teaming up as ‘superheroes’ The Crimson Bolt, and Boltie, Rainn and Page will also be joined by Liv Tyler (Armageddon), Kevin Bacon (Hollow Man), and Gregg Henry (Slither), in the film that’s apparently creating a good deal of buzz at the Toronto International Film Festival; where it is currently looking for a buyer, and hoping to find distribution.
