Super (2010)

This was quite an odd film.  I read that it was released at about the same time as Kick Ass, and there was some concern that the two films would compete against each other but was later determined that the films were different enough so that was not a concern.  The funny thing is, the films do not appear to be drastically different in concept, so that there is no reason that the producers should have waylaid their fears.

I would guess that Kick Ass got a lot more attention mostly because of the negative press in regards to Hit Girl (a very young girl superhero) cursing with the worst possible words in English.  That was really a distraction from Kick Ass, which was by far a superior film to Super.

Super is still different from Kick Ass in three very major ways.  One is the "Hero" is middle aged man, and much less appealing as a character.  This is not the kind of character we can imagine ourselves being.  He is not a sympathetic character either and his actions are difficult to understand or defend.  Second is his choice of weapon.  He uses a weapon that is would do serious, mostly likely debilitating damage.  Third, his attacks are very questionable morally, as he frequently attacks unarmed  and unaware people, often without any proof of guilt.

One note worthy appearance was that of Nathan Fillion, who played the TV character of a christian superhero.

Hancock (2008)

I had been planning on watching this film for quite a while, both for the superhero factor and for Will Smith.  I have always enjoyed Will Smiths films and intended to watch all of them, but that petered off.  Still I don't think he has made a bad film, though Bad Boys (1995) could be the exception, or at least blamed on Martin Lawerence.

I knew practically nothing about Hancock before I watched it.  All the pictures I had seen of the film merely confused me more, as they showed Hancock looking sort of like a homeless guy, though I recall one where he did look like an actual superhero.

The film itself was okay, and I give it accolades for being unprecedented.  Still, there were some things in the film that didn't make sense.  Hancock was supposed to be unaware of basic pleasantries, as well as having a complete disregard for property damage, but it's unfathomable as to how he could be oblivious to all that (was it supposed to be because he was drunk?).

The real problem with the film was when he discovered the other superpowered individual.  It was kind of like Highlander 2, which was a horrible mess.  From there, there were too many coincidental events, making a unique film into a bit of a let down.