The chances of IFC Films releasing James Gunn‘s Super sometime later this year are, I realize, remote or off the table. (It’s…what, a late winter or spring release?) The chances of the full-length feature sustaining the humor in this violent teaser clip are also not high. I really laughed at this. And then he seriously hurts the guy and it was like…what? Oh, I see. Doofus asshole. Fine.The movie-line analogy, of course, is that scene in Woody Allen‘s Annie Hall in which Allen squared off against that irritating academic guy talking about Federico Fellini and Marshall McLuhan.

I get the point of Super. (I think.) It’s a roundabout commentary on the ridiculous notion of superheroes as well as dark situation comedy about a lonely, deeply angry schlub who lacks the moves and the control and the soul to be a true-blue hero. But the difference between the above scene and the one in Annie Hall is what people mean they talk about social and political devolution. Both scenes are about the protagonist feeling great surges of hostility, and they both involve fantasy solutions. But they’re very different birds.