Super

Impressions before seeing it
At first glance it sounds like Super is ripping off Kick-Ass, but then I started hearing that this movie was even more twisted and violent than anything Hit Girl accomplished, and it interested me.

How was it?
Ultimately, I think Super is darker, grittier, and more honest (i.e. grounded) than Kick-Ass. Frank/The Crimson Bolt (Rainn Wilson) doesn't have any powers, of course, but he also has no special fighting skills and no fancy expensive weapons or equipment; just a big, heavy wrench (and, later, some guns and home-made pipe bombs). It's also apparent that he may have a bit of a screw loose, which one would probably have to have in order to attempt the things he does. Some of the things he attacks people for are not even crimes, they just bother him on a personal level. And when I say "attacks", I mean he bashes their skulls in with his wrench, so yes it is shockingly violent. Ellen Page as his sidekick Boltie is even crazier than he is, enjoying the brutal beatings and laughing maniacally at her victims. If you can't laugh at violence then this is definitely not the movie for you, because it goes to those places.

But that's what makes it so great. It's twisted, weird, violent, dark, and sad, but also engaging and funny, and somehow all of it works together to create an honest reality, because life sometimes is all of those things at once. This character is far from perfect - without the superhero thing, he's actually kind of a boring loser; at the beginning of the movie he states that he has only experienced two perfect moments in his life, and that makes his journey all the more marvelous. Super is, I suppose, not a superhero movie. It's about an ordinary guy working up the courage to do one extraordinary thing in order to give his life meaning. As crazy as he might be, that's inspiring. Also, Nathan Fillion plays a cheesy Christian superhero on TV. So much win.

Recommendation
You'll probably like it if you liked Kick-Ass, but at the same time they are two very different experiences so it won't feel like either one is ripping off the other if you watch both. A dark and crazy sense of humour also helps, but I think you can also enjoy this one for the drama; it has its touching moments, too.