# Super (2010 American film)
**Super** is a 2010 American dark comedy and action film written and directed by [James Gunn](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-gunn), in which a fry cook named Frank Darbo ([Rainn Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rainn-wilson)), abandoned by his wife and touched by what he takes for a divine vision, reinvents himself as a costumed vigilante called the Crimson Bolt despite having no heroic skills.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) • [2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1512235/) It should not be confused with *Super* (2010), a Kannada-language Indian drama directed by and starring Upendra released the same year.[3](https://www.moviebuff.com/super-2010-kannada)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | James Gunn, who also appears in a small role as Demonswill[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) • [4](https://filmoveplatno.cz/film/super) |
| Lead cast | Rainn Wilson as Frank Darbo/The Crimson Bolt; Elliot Page as Libby/Boltie; Liv Tyler as Sarah; Kevin Bacon as Jacques; Nathan Fillion as The Holy Avenger[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) |
| Release | Premiered September 10, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival; limited US theatrical release April 1, 2011 through IFC Films[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/releaseinfo/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) |
| Budget and gross | Budget $2,500,000; worldwide gross $422,618, of which $327,716 was domestic[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1512235/) |
| Runtime and rating | 96 minutes; MPAA rated R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual content, and strong bloody violence[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1512235/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) |
| Critical scores | 50% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (127 reviews) and 56% on the audience Popcornmeter; 6.7/10 on IMDb from about 88,000 votes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/super) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
Frank Darbo, a fry cook, loses his ex-addict wife Sarah to Jacques, a charismatic local drug dealer. After a vision he interprets as a message from God, he dresses as the Crimson Bolt and takes up crime fighting with a wrench, beginning with petty offenders such as a couple cutting in line at a movie theater. Libby, a young comic-book shop clerk, joins him as his sidekick Boltie, and the campaign escalates toward an assault on Jacques's operation.[7](https://www.torinofilmfest.org/en/28-torino-film-festival/film/super/8970/) • [8](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/4/5/super-movie-review/)
Gunn described the film before release as a low-budget independent work, "sort of a black comedy, sort of a weird drama" about people struggling to grasp something beyond human, and stressed its naturalism: "There's a lot of violence and sex but it's still very naturalistic." He distinguished it from the contemporaneous *Kick-Ass*, which he saw as a different, more broadly comic take on amateur vigilantism.[9](https://www.superherohype.com/features/100583-exclusive-james-gunn-on-super)
## Cast and production
The cast pairs Rainn Wilson and [Elliot Page](https://www.edgepedia.org/elliot-page) as the vigilante duo, with [Liv Tyler](https://www.edgepedia.org/liv-tyler) as Sarah, Kevin Bacon as Jacques, Nathan Fillion as the Christian-broadcast superhero The Holy Avenger who inspires Frank, and supporting roles for [Gregg Henry](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-henry), Michael Rooker, Andre Royo, Sean Gunn, Stephen Blackehart, and Linda Cardellini; Rob Zombie voices God.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) • [10](https://ondemand.spectrum.net/movies/MV003467870000/super/) The film was produced by Miranda Bailey and Ted Hope through Ambush Entertainment and This Is That Productions.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010)
## Release and box office
*Super* premiered at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) on September 10, 2010.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/releaseinfo/) IFC Films gave it a limited theatrical release in the United States on April 1, 2011, where it opened to $46,549 and earned $327,716 domestically, about 77.5 percent of its $422,618 worldwide total against a $2.5 million budget. It later opened in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2011 ($28,411) and in Italy on October 20, 2011 ($66,491).[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1512235/)
## Reception
Critical response was divided along the film's tonal seam. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus states that the film's "intriguing premise and talented cast are drowned in a blood-red sea of graphic violence, jarring tonal shifts, and thinly written characters," reflected in its 50% Tomatometer score.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010) A Harvard Crimson review gave it 2.5 stars, arguing that the Crimson Bolt's actions are "often more demented than noble" and that the gratuitous violence, including a scene in which Frank bludgeons a couple with a wrench over a movie line, repels audience sympathy even though the film has its amusing moments and a "delightfully mercurial" performance from [Kevin Bacon](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-bacon).[8](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/4/5/super-movie-review/) Later assessments have been warmer: a 2024 review in *The Screen* called it "a pitch-black comedy that operates at the top of Rainn Wilson and James Gunn's abilities," and audience commentary frequently highlights the line "Shut up, crime!" and Page's performance as Boltie.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010)
Common Sense Media describes the film as a dark satire starring Wilson as a pipe wrench-wielding vigilante, with frequent violence throughout, and notes that its mix of addiction-speak, cartoon whimsy, buddy comedy, and brutal violence does not always cohere.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/super) The film has since developed a cult following for its raw treatment of vigilantism.[12](https://stream-tracker.com/en/film/super-2010)
## Availability
As of late 2026, *Super* streams in the United States on Paramount+, AMC+, fuboTV, and Sundance Now, among other services, and free with ads on [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel), Pluto TV, Plex, and Tubi; it can be rented for $3.99 on Fandango at Home, Amazon Video, and the Apple TV Store. It is on Prime Video in 23 countries but not in the US, and it is not on Netflix, Disney+, or Max in any surveyed country.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/super) • [13](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/super-2010-45132) In the Netherlands and Belgium it was not available on any subscription streaming service as of October 2026.[14](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/super) • [15](https://www.streamguide.be/film/45132/super)
## References
1. [Super (2010), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_2010)
2. [Super (2010), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1512235/)
3. [Super (2010, Kannada), Moviebuff.com](https://www.moviebuff.com/super-2010-kannada)
4. [Super (2010), Filmové plátno](https://filmoveplatno.cz/film/super)
5. [Super (2010) Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/releaseinfo/)
6. [Super streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/super)
7. [Super film card, Torino Film Festival](https://www.torinofilmfest.org/en/28-torino-film-festival/film/super/8970/)
8. [Overly Dark 'Super' Unwittingly Undermines its Premise, The Harvard Crimson (2011)](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/4/5/super-movie-review/)
9. [Exclusive: James Gunn on Super, SuperHeroHype (2010)](https://www.superherohype.com/features/100583-exclusive-james-gunn-on-super)
10. [Watch Super (2010), Spectrum On Demand](https://ondemand.spectrum.net/movies/MV003467870000/super/)
11. [Super Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/super)
12. [Is the movie Super available on Netflix, Disney+, Prime or Apple TV+?, Stream Tracker](https://stream-tracker.com/en/film/super-2010)
13. [Where to watch Super (2010), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/super-2010-45132)
14. [Super (2010) kijken, WaarKanIkDatKijken.nl](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/super)
15. [Super (2010) kijken in België, StreamGuide](https://www.streamguide.be/film/45132/super)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media › Films based on comics and graphic novels*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license