Review: Super

I decided to watch SUPER because of the premise and cast seemed unusually big to me, pure and simple.

SUPER is a film about Frank and his attempt to change the world at large.  His Wife, Sarah, leaves him for a drug dealer.  In his grief and as a vain attempt to get her back, Frank becomes the Crimson Bolt, crime fighter.  Soon he begins to see that simply having the desire to stand up for whats right isn't enough.

Likes - Right away I have to tell you, this movie is dark.  It starts off with a cute premise.  Very quickly, it begins to became a very dark, disturbing tale of trying to do the right thing.  No character is completely innocent or stable.  That's one thing I really appreciated in this film.  Maybe because I'm more astute today, but I noticed that everyone character, including Frank, was a disturbed individual, looking for a way to cope with reality.  It was entertaining to see how each character tried to just survive his or her mundane role in society - drugs, money, the past, a costume.  This movie takes the classic idea of a super hero and places it the real world.  SUPER shows us just how far and how bad things can get.  The cast was amazingly big for such a small title.  I think most everyone did good work, though nothing exceptional can be gleamed from this film.  Except Ellen Page.  Her portrayal of Libby is great.  She provides some of the best lines in the film and the best scenes in the whole film.  She reminds me of Damien Wayne in the Batman comic world, but without the extensive training or confidence.  

Dislikes - Nothing in particular that I disliked about this film.  The most negative aspect I have of this film is that it simply was not at all what I was expecting.  It was much more brutal and true to life then I was expecting. That isn't a bad thing but it took me longer then it should have to appreciate what SUPER was trying to convey.  

Overall - I'd recommend this film for any superhero buff, be you into comics, cartoons, or movies.  Also for anyone who loves dark comedy, this is a must watch.  For the luke warm viewer, I'd probably avoid this film.  It's not for everyone.  Since I'm in a decent mood, I'll give this film 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: Superman III

As I continue my pursuit of watching all the Superman films, this was the next entry on my list.

Superman 3 focuses on a new villain, Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn).  On the outside he is a generous philanthropist, doling out heaping handfuls of money to whatever group he deems fit.  He is a powerful man, born into wealth, and, secretly, looking to do anything in his power to get more.  Even if that means going beyond the limits of the law.  We are also introduced to Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor).  He is a lazy man in denial and unable to hold down a job of any kind.  After enrolling into a basic computer programming class, he finds he is a gifted genius computer whiz.  Gus pulls a techno bank heist to satiate his greedy lusts.  Rather quickly though, he is caught by his employer Webster.  Rather then fire him and turn him into the police, he creates a new partnership with the tech whiz.  What ensues is a new plot to defeat Superman and to get rich while they were doing it. SPOILER WARNING!

Likes - There is one thing about this film I really liked, Christopher Reeves performance as Superman.  Particularly, I really enjoyed Reeves portrayal of a Superman under the influence of tainted Kryptonite. He did a particular amazing job of playing a real person.  This is key because his portrayal of Clark as a bumbling nerd is all the more exemplified.  It give Reeves' Kent so much more credibility.

Dislikes - Oh Superman, how you continue to show us how not to do things!  Webster feels to me like a watered down Luthor.  In Superman 1 and 2, Hackman's Luthor has one ultimate, unspoken motivation - to prove his mental superiority over humanity.  Webster's motivation feels nothing more then making a quick buck.  It doesn't make much sense why he is going out of his way to make more money when he already owns his own business, along with it's own high rise skyscraper in Metropolis.  Gus Gorman is a bit more believable while also being much less likely.  It is very hard to believe how someone can be such a moron with everything in life, but somehow have an innate understanding of the inner workings of computers. So much so, he is able to create a virus that infects an entire corporation.  Also, Pryor seemed pushed into silly scenes, simply to give him a forum to display various impressions.  It felt forced and out of place.  In the end, I think Pryor was too big a name for this movie.  They tried to make this movie to be something else, instead of a showcase of Superman and how he handles the various problems that his special powers can't make go away.
Another aspect of this film is the general attitude of technology.  This is less a complaint and more an observation.  I love technology.  I have a degree in Computer Engineering because I love computers.  Technology is the future, pure and simple.  This film treats technology, computers in particular, as this strange magic, somehow able to do whatever you want it to do.  The film makers didn't understand that even computers have their limits.  They can't randomly shoot out lasers or suck in human flesh.  I found this treatment of computers very amusing and I feel like this attitude still prevails amongst people today.

Overall - I don't recommend watching this film, at least not if you want to see Superman.  I feel like Superman was included in this film almost as an afterthought or out of necessity.   Out of the 3 films I've seen of Superman, this is the most inconsistent.  Reeves delivers a great performance of Superman/Kent but it's not enough to justify watching this movie as a whole.  2 out of 5 stars.